Veal Fricassee

Veal Fricassee © kvalifood.com

Veal fricassee is the refined alternative to beef broth — the veal simmers until tender and is served in a lightly thickened broth with peas, carrots and leek. The sauce is made from the flavourful cooking liquid as a simple velouté with a butter-flour ball. It takes patience, but no special technique.

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings

  • ½–1 kg veal shoulder, shank or breast, cut into cubes (approx. 4 cm)

Bouquet garni

  • ½ onion
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • parsley stalks

Fricassee sauce

  • 30 g soft butter
  • 3–4 tbsp plain flour
  • 500 ml broth from cooking the veal
  • salt, pepper
  • optional: 100 ml double cream

Vegetables and garnish

  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 leek, cut into rings
  • 300 g peas (frozen or fresh)
  • 1 bunch chopped parsley

To serve

  • white bread (or new potatoes)

Directions

Cooking the veal

Cover the veal with cold water in a pot. Bring to the boil and skim thoroughly for 10–15 minutes. Add the bouquet garni, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 1–1½ hours until the meat is tender. Strain the broth and keep the meat warm.

Vegetables

Cook the carrots and leek in the strained broth until tender (approx. 8–10 minutes). Remove and keep warm. Add the peas for the last 2 minutes.

Fricassee sauce

Work the soft butter and flour together into a smooth ball (beurre manié). Bring approx. 500 ml of the broth to the boil. Whisk in the butter ball a little at a time until the sauce is smooth and lightly thickened. Simmer for 5–8 minutes to cook out the flour. Add cream if using. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble and serve

Add the veal and vegetables to the sauce and heat through over low heat for 3–5 minutes. Scatter plenty of chopped parsley over the top and serve with white bread or new potatoes.

Notes

  • Skim the broth thoroughly for the first 10–15 minutes — this is key to a clean, pale sauce
  • Beurre manié whisked directly into the boiling broth is easier than a separate roux and gives a smooth sauce without lumps
  • The vegetables are cooked separately in the broth and added at the end — they hold their colour and texture better that way
  • Variation — lamb fricassee: replace the veal with 1 kg lamb, cooking time approx. 1½ hours
  • Variation — chicken fricassee: replace the veal with a boiling hen, cooking time 1½–2 hours
  • Freezing: up to 3 months