Veal Forestier Food

FRENCH IN A FLASH: VEAL STEW FORESTIèRE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• In a stew pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Sear the cubes of meat on all sides. The meat will not be cooked through. Remove it to a plate while you get on with the rest of the stew.
• Add a bit of light olive oil or butter to the pot if it needs it, and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the shallots and the garlic and sweat very gently for 1 minute, until the shallots are translucent, and the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the mushrooms to the pot, and turn up the heat slightly. Cook until soft and a touch brown around the edges: 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Deglaze the pan with the sherry. For safety, pour the 1/2 cup sherry into a separate cup, take the pan off the heat, and add it in. Turn the heat up so that the sherry bubbles and reduces.
• Add the meat back into the pot.
• Add the beef stock and the thyme. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the pot boils, reduce the heat to low, and cook covered for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Lay out two slices of Jambon de Bayonne or Prosciutto on the baking sheet, and place in the 450°F oven for 10 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool. Brake the crispy ham into salty shards.
• Make a beurre manié by mashing together the butter and the flour. Stir into the stew, and let it bubble up a few minutes until the stew has noticeably thickened. Take the pot off the heat, and stir in the cream. Pull out the stems of thyme. Add the crispy shards of ham on top.

VEAL FORESTIER

Steps:

• Start to prepare about 50 minutes before serving.
• On cutting board, with meat mallet or dull edge of French knife, pound veal cutlets to 1/8" thickness.
• Cut cutlets into about 3" by 2" pieces.
• On a sheet of waxed paper, coat cutlets lightly in flour.
• In a 10" skillet, over medium-high heat, in hot butter, cook meat, a few pieces at a time, until lightly browned on both sides, removing pieces as the brown and adding more butter as needed.
• Add mushrooms, vermouth, water, salt and pepper to skillet; heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
• Return meat to skillet; heat through.
• Stir in chopped parsley.
• Serve with sauteed cherry tomatoes and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

SIMPLE VEAL FRANCESE

Steps:

• Place veal pieces between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet until they're thin. Season with salt and pepper. Place the beaten egg in a wide, shallow bowl. Place the flour on a wide plate. Dip the pounded veal in the egg. Remove, letting the excess egg drip off. Place each scallop in the flour, and coat lightly. Remove the scallops from the flour, and hold them in a single layer.
• Add 4 tablespoons of the butter to a saute pan large enough to hold the 6 scallops in a single layer. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. When it foams, add the veal. Saute, turning once, until the scallops are golden on the outside. Remove the scallops and hold in a single layer.
• Spill the butter out of the saute pan, and return the pan to high heat. Add the white wine and reduce it to 1/2 cup. Turn heat to very low. Swirl in the butter until the sauce is thickened. Add the reserved veal to the pan, turning them until they are coated with the sauce. Divide scallops among 2 plates, pour remaining sauce over them, serve immediately.
• Suggested drink: Antinori Castello della Sala, Sauvignon, 1996

VEAL FORESTIERE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Season the veal with salt and pepper; coat in the flour. Reserve the leftover flour. Cook the veal 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the mushrooms, garlic and rosemary to the skillet and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in 2 Tbsp. of the reserved flour; discard the rest. While stirring, slowly mix in the stock. Bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper. Return the veal to the skillet and heat through 1 to 2 minutes, and then serve.

VEAL STEW FORESTIèRE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown veal cubes on all sides and set aside on a plate (they will not be cooked through).
• Add a bit more oil if needed, and reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots and garlic and sweat gently 1 minute until shallots are translucent and garlic is fragrant.
• Add mushrooms and raise heat to medium. Cook until mushrooms are soft and beginning to brown, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Move the pan away from the open flame (if using an electric range, you can skip this step), add the sherry, then return the pot to the stove. Turn up heat until sherry boils vigorously. Scrape the brown bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan as the sherry reduces.
• Return the veal to the pot, along with any accumulated juices. Add beef stock and thyme. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 hours.
• Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place the slices of prosciutto or jambon on the sheet and bake in preheated oven until crispy, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly then break slices into shards.
• Mash together butter and flour to form a beurre manie. Drop small bits of this mixture onto the surface of the stew, then stir in well. Let simmer until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Off heat, add cream and stir. Remove the stems of the thyme sprigs and discard.
• Serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes. Garnish each dish with the ham crumbs.