Veal Blanquette

Ingredients

Stew

• 2 1/2 lbs boneless veal shoulder, cut into 1 in cubes (veal stew meat)
• salt and black pepper
• flour (for dredging)
• 5 tablespoons butter (3 for meat, 2 for mushrooms)
• 1-2 tablespoon vegetable oil (if needed)
• 1 1/4 cups semi-dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons semi-dry white wine
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 medium onion, chopped

Bouquet Garni

• 2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
• 1-2 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2-3 portabella mushrooms, halved, sliced 1/4 in thick
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 loaf of rustic bread

Garnish

• minced parsley
• lemon zest

Directions

1. 1

   Prepare bouquet garni (herbs and aromatics in cheesecloth) and set aside.

2. 2

   Place all stew meat on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the veal in flour.

3. 3

   Add 2 tbsp of butter to a large dutch oven and working in small batches, lightly brown the veal (roughly 2 min per side). Add additional tbsp of butter and continue to lightly brown the veal. After each batch, remove veal and set aside on a fresh plate until all veal is complete. *You may need to add 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil to help with the browning process.

4. 4

   Add 1/4 cup of white wine to deglaze (about 3 minutes).

5. 5

   Add onion and saute in the wine until translucent.

6. 6

   Add 1 cup of wine and reduce for 15 minutes.

7. 7

   Add veal back into the onion / wine mixture, add chicken stock and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

8. 8

   Meanwhile, take a medium size saute pan to begin the mushrooms.

9. 9

   Add 2 tbsp of butter to the pan and begin saute of mushrooms. Add salt & pepper to taste.

10. 10

    After 5-7 minutes, add 3 tablespoons of white wine and let simmer for a few minutes. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and set aside.

11. 11

    At this point you can save the mushroom wine broth for another dish or cook other vegetables or discard (I usually saute some aspargus in the sauce and serve on the side).

12. 12

    Remove cover of stew, skim fat off. Simmer uncovered for another 20-30 minutes. You may need to add a flour slurry to thicken at this point (chicken stock and flour mixture).

13. 13

    Discard bouquet garni.

14. 14

    Before serving, add the mushrooms and heavy cream to the stew and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

15. 15

    Serve in bowls, garnished with parsely & some lemon zest.

16. 16

    Enjoy with rustic bread for dipping!