Veal Stew with Mushrooms Recipe

Prepare

Leeks are usually loaded with sand and grit so it's important to clean them well. I like to chop the white and tender green parts and wash in my ancient salad spinner.

The pearl onions are the most tedious prep in this recipe. You have probably seen recipes that say to pour boiling water over the pearl onions and the skins will just fall off. No way. Doesn't happen. Yes, it does help some, but you're going to end up peeling them with a knife and your fingernails so be patient.

Peel and mince the garlic and if you are using whole plum tomatoes, pour them into a bowl and cut up into pieces.

Chop the parsley and slice the mushrooms.

Make the Veal Stew

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Put some flour into any bowl (I used a soup bowl) to dredge the veal cubes with flour. You can season the flour if you like with a little salt and pepper or your favorite dried seasonings. Be sure the veal is dry before dredging.

Heat your sauté pan over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, shake off any excess flour from the veal pieces and add them to the sauté pan. Most likely you'll sauté the veal in batches unless you have one giant sauté pan.

All we are trying to do is brown the veal on all sides. The cooking will be done in the liquids. The browning will add color and add flavor to the pan that will result in a very tasty stew.

When one batch of veal is browned, remove it to a plate and start the next batch. When all is meat is browned and reserved, add another tablespoon of butter and oil to the pan and add the leeks, pearl onions and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 to 7 minutes until the leeks become translucent & slightly brown.

Next add the port wine and deglaze the pan by scraping from the bottom any meat or leeks that may be stuck to the pan. Continuing cooking until most of the port is cooked off, then add the meat back to the pan.

At this point you want to add the cut up tomatoes with juice along with the cup of demi glace. Add the sage, parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for about 1 hour.

While the veal stew is cooking, it's time to sauté the mushrooms in a smaller sauté pan. You want to sauté the mushrooms separately so they release their liquid before adding to the stew.

Here's How

Heat your smaller sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and oil. When the butter and oil are hot, add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until most of the liquid has been released and evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve.

After the stew has cooked for one hour, add the mushrooms to the stew and continue cooking for an additional 30 to 45 minutes until the veal is for tender. I turned off the oven and let the stew cool a bit before serving with a combination mashed parsnip, turnip and potatoes. It was delicious and I can't wait for the leftovers.