Veal casserole, also known as blanquette de veau recipe by Boela Gerber paired with Groot Constantia Shiraz.
Ingredients
1 kg veal (or beef fillet), cubed, with veal bones
375 ml white wine
2 onions, peeled
4 whole cloves
4 carrots, cleaned and quartered
2 leeks, cleaned and halved lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
bouquet garni (a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and celery tied together)
15 ml black peppercorns
100 g butter, plus 60 g for frying
15 ml cake flour
8 large spring onions
250 g small button mushrooms
freshly squeezed lemon juice
saIt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
150 ml creme fraiche
Recipe
Serves 4
Place the meat and bones in a casserole, cover with the wine and bring to a boil. Skim off the surface froth. Spike the onions with cloves and add to the casserole, along with the carrots, leeks, garlic, bouquet garni, and peppercorns. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hour.
Meanwhile, make a roux by melting the 100 g butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously without allowing it to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Trim and peel the spring onions. Melt 30 g butter in a saucepan and gently fry the spring onions until soft but without turning brown.
Rinse the mushrooms, dab dry, and trim. Melt another 30 g butter in a saucepan and add some stock from the casserole and a squeeze of lemon juice. Lightly fry the mushrooms until tender but not browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When the meat is cooked, strain the stock into a saucepan. Remove the bones, vegetables, and bouquet garni and return the meat to the casserole dish. Add the cooled roux to the stock in the saucepan and reheat slightly to simmer, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thin, whip up some more roux and add to the sauce.
Whisk the egg yolk with the creme Iratche and mix it into the sauce. Add the sauce, mushrooms, and spring onions to the meat in the casserole. Reheat, without allowing it to boil.
Serve with fresh bread (olive ciabatta is good).
Wine Pairing
Groot Constantia Shiraz