Spring Veal Stew
Spring Veal Stew
Mark BittmanTime 1 hour Yield 4 servings
This is a wonderful springtime stew loaded with spring onions or shallots, fresh tarragon and peas. Much of the flavor comes from browning the veal cubes, but be careful: veal is pretty lean, so it doesn’t take long to dry out. Stewing it for 15 to 20 minutes (sometimes even less) with a little splash of white wine is all it takes. Add the peas at the end, and cook until they’re tender and warm — you don’t want to cook all the flavor out of them, especially if they’re fresh.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds veal cubes, no side larger than 1 1/2 inches
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon, or 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 pound spring onions or shallots, peeled (if large, trimmed and halved), or scallions, each cut in 2 or 3 pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup white wine or water
- 1 cup fresh shelled peas, snow peas or frozen peas
Preparation
- Step 1Put a 12-inch skillet over high heat, and a minute later add oil and butter. Add the meat, in one layer (if you use the larger amount of meat you may have to cook in batches). Cook, undisturbed, until the meat is nicely browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2Add tarragon, onions and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and any meat stuck to bottom of pan is released, about 5 minutes. Add liquid, stir, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 30 to 40 minutes, or until the veal is tender.
- Step 3Uncover, add peas and raise the heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, until the peas are done. Adjust seasoning, garnish if you like and serve.