It is that time of year when braised meats and stews just sound wonderful.  This week, my local grocery store had beautiful cubed veal available, so I created this simple-to-prepare, make-ahead, one-pot stew that is great reheated on a week night but elegant enough to serve at a dinner party.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 2” pieces
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• ½ tsp. each oregano, salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• ½ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a shallow dish sprinkle the flour over the veal cubes then coat the meat lightly.
3. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until it is nearly smoking.  Season floured meat with salt and pepper, add to hot pot and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes.  If your pot isn’t wide enough to accommodate all the meat in one layer, brown in two batches.  Place cooked veal on a platter and reserve for later use.
4. In the same pot the meat was seared in, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until softened and slightly golden, about 4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.  If the onion-mushroom mixture becomes dry while cooking, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and lower the heat to medium.
5. Add the Dijon mustard, the oregano, the broth and the wine to the onion-mushroom mixture and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
6. Return the veal and its juices to the pot, add the cream, stir well to combine all the ingredients and place in the oven.  Cook for 3 hours.

Serves 4.

Notes:  The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Serve over white rice or egg noodles.

Ragu alla Bolognese

This comforting sauce is best served with rigatoni or gnocchi and would be delicious in a lasagna.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 medium carrots, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 3/4 pound ground veal
• 3/4 pound ground beef (20% fat)
• 2-28 ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, chopped
• 1-6 ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup chicken or veal broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp each, dry oregano and basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add carrots, onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Increase medium-heat to high, add meats and sauté until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, broth and the spices and stir well.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.

6 Servings.

Notes:  It’s fine to replace veal with beef if you prefer.  You could use white wine instead of red wine.  This sauce freezes very well, so feel free to double up the recipe!

Bucatini and Meatballs

Bucatini, a thick spaghetti with a hole in its center much like macaroni, is the perfect pasta to hold up to the rich veal meatballs in tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry bucatini (I used DaVinci brand)
• Oven-baked veal meatballs in tomato sauce
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat meatballs in tomato sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add cooked pasta to tomato sauce and gently stir to coat pasta with sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Serve 2 meatballs and a portion of pasta for each guest. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp grated cheese over each portion.

4 servings.

Veal Meatball

Craving pasta and meatballs? Using ground veal  instead of the typical beef offers a version that’s moist and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of fresh  white bread, crusts removed
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 pounds ground veal
• 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• Tomato sauce, about 6 cups (I enjoy this version from Ina Garten)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse bread in a food processor until medium-fine crumbs are created. Should be approximately 1 cup.
2. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs and milk until bread is completely soaked and milk has been nearly completely absorbed, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the veal, 2 tbsp parsley, cheese, egg and salt & pepper to bread mixture. Stir until just combined. Mixture will be somewhat loose. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Spray a  13 X 18 X 1 rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Form meat mixture into large meatballs, approximately 4 inches across. Place meatballs on the sprayed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Heat tomato sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add baked meatballs and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

Makes 8 large meatballs.

Notes: Don’t have a food processor? Don’t fret, simply cut the bread into very small pieces using a serrated knife. Tomato sauce can easily be store-bought. Meatballs in sauce freeze well for about 1 month. Want to make 2-inch meatballs? Simply bake for 10 minutes instead of 20 minutes!

This spreadable meat dish is similar to pâté but with more texture.  Cretons are a very typical eastern Canada dish served at breakfast time on toasted bread.  Cretons are sometimes also served on a cheese platter.

Cretons

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 lb ground veal
• 2 onions finely minced
• 2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 envelope flavorless gelatin

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients (except gelatin) in a heavy saucepan.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for one hour, stirring often.  Turn off heat.
2. Mash down the mixture with a hand potato masher to a coarse consistency.
3. Incorporate the gelatin to the mixture.
4. Cool completely, then stir the mixture.  Put mixture in small containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Sauce:

• 3 Tbs. flour
• 2 Tbs. butter, softened
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. instant beef bouillon

Veal:

• 3 Tbs. flour
• 8 ounces veal scaloppini
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 Tbs. butter, divided
• 6 mushrooms sliced
• 1/3 cup dry marsala wine
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:  Mix flour and butter to form a paste.  In a saucepan bring the water to a boil over high heat and stir in the broth.  Reduce heat to low and stir in the flour mixture, cooking until desired thickness.  Keep on low heat.

Veal:  Place flour in a shallow dish and dip both sides of the veal shaking off excess.  Heat oil and 1 Tbs. butter over medium-high heat.  Brown the veal for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Remove veal to a plate.  Add the remaining butter to the veal skillet and sauté mushrooms for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to medium.  Stir in Marsala and cook 30 seconds, scarping brown bits from the pan.  Add the sauce and season to taste.  Return veal to the skillet to rewarm.  Serve with pasta or rice.

2 Servings.

• 1 pound ground veal
• 1 pound ground pork (on the lean side)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon each, salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Water 1-2 cups
• 4 ounces butter or margarine

Combine the veal and pork in a large bowl.  Add the chopped onions.  Make a well in the meat, break in the egg and mix to blend.  Add the flour, salt and pepper.  Start combining the mixture then slowly add the water, making certain that it is well incorporated before adding more water.  Form the mixture into golf ball-sized oblong meatballs.

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.  Add butter or margarine.  Once the butter begins to brown, add enough meatballs to cover the bottom of the pan without crowding.  Rotate meatballs until all sides are browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, adding butter as needed and working in batches if needed.

10 Servings (appetizer size)