Sandra Proulx and Tracy Zambonin teamed up to open their personal-chef business, Cooks On The Run in Stittsville, Ont., after graduating from a culinary arts program. They have a knack for polishing up hearty dishes like this Italian stew. "This is a big hit with the young families we work with," says Proulx. "The kids like it because the meat and vegetables are in easy-to-manage pieces, while the grown-ups find it slightly sophisticated." Serve the stew with egg noodles to sop up the rich sauce; they cook in less time than it takes to reheat the stew.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) pepper
- 2-1/2 lb (1.25 kg) boneless veal cubes
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil
- 1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine
- 3 cups (750 mL) chicken stock
- 4 sloves garlic, minced
- 6 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 2 small leeks, chopped
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp (10 mL) each dried basil, thyme and Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
- 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated lemon rind
- 2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
Steps
- In plastic bag, toss flour with pepper; add veal and shake to coat. In Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat; brown veal, in batches, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with slotted spoon.
- Add wine to pan; cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan, for 4 minutes or until reduced by half.
- Add stock; simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, celery, carrots, leeks, onions, tomatoes, basil, thyme, Italian seasoning and veal. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour or until veal is tender.
- Stir in parsley, salt, lemon rind and lemon juice. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks. Thaw in refrigerator for 48 hours or in microwave for 1 hour, breaking up chunks. Reheat in saucepan over medium heat, covered and stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Or microwave at Medium-High/70% for 10 minutes, stirring twice.)
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Other Methods:
Slow-Cooker Milanese Veal Stew: Follow first 2 paragraphs as directed; transfer to slow-cooker. Cover and cook on Low until veal is tender, 6 to 7 hours. Stir in parsley, lemon rind and juice, and salt.
- Pressure-Cooker Milanese Veal Stew: Using pressure cooker instead of Dutch oven, follow first 2 paragraphs as directed. Secure lid; bring to High pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain High pressure; cook for 6 minutes. Remove from heat; let pressure release completely, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, lemon rind and juice, and salt.
