My mum agreed to share with you her personal recipes! This one is one of my favourites! The French veal stew is one of the oldest French recipes still cooked nowadays!
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A national French dish: the veal stew
It is actually one of the most common dishes all over France for the traditional family Sunday lunch during winter mainly.
The first mention in a recipe book dates back to 1789! However, the geographical origin of this dish is not clear; it became a nationwide traditional French dish.
I know that it is not common to eat veal in some countries. It can even be hard to find at the butcher. Also, French people are not easily sentimental about farmed meat.
This version of the veal stew (Blanquette de veau) is not the most common one. I actually prefer this one as my mum adds vanilla to make the stew even softer!
I’m a food lover, and my favourite food is, without a doubt, my mum’s food! For me, dishes are often linked to memories. My brother other jokes with me saying that the memory part of my brain is in my stomach! Relatives often ask me to remind them which dish we had on which occasion!!!
My mum’s recipe: the Veal stew with vanilla
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1h40
Ingredients for 6 to 8 people
2kg of veal cut in big cubs: flank and shoulder (tendron et épaule de veau)
1 onion (oignon)
1 carrot (carotte)
1 leek (poireau)
80g butter (beurre)
2 vanilla pods (gousse de vanille)
20 cl of cream (crème fraîche)
2 egg yolks (jaunes d’oeuf)
40g of wheat flour (farine de blé)
1 lemon (citron)
My mum’s preparation
Brown the veal gently in half of the butter (40g) in a casserole dish.
Peel the carrot and the onion. Wash the leek and cut the vegetables into roughly one cm pieces.
Add the vegetables to the casserole dish with the veal.
Pour cold water into the casserole until just covering the meat. Let it boil for a few minutes, then skim. Add salt and pepper and the vanilla pods previously slit in length.
Cover the casserole and let it cook gently for 1h30.
Once the time is up, strain the meat and vegetable, making sure to keep the stock.
In a thick bottom saucepan, prepare a roux: melt the butter in the saucepan, gradually sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and mix with a whisk while letting it cook for 2 minutes. Then pour slowly while you whisk about 70cl of the stock you’ve previously kept over the butter and flour mix until getting a smooth texture. Add the lemon juice, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Pour the sauce into the empty casserole dish.
Add the meat to the casserole dish; let it simmer for 10 minutes on slow heat.
Before serving, mix the cream and the yokes in a bowl and add the mixture to the casserole. Mix for 2 minutes without letting the sauce boil. It is ready!
I like it with fresh tagliatelle or rice on the side.
A blanquette should be matched with white wine only
According to my brother, that knows more about wines than I do, a white wine from Loire Valley would go great with a blanquette! Red wine would not accompany well this dish due to the acidity of the lemon and also the cream.
You now have all the family tips to have a great French traditional meal! It gives you a taste of what to expect at a French dinner party!
Bon appétit!
