Description

Prepared using very lean veal stew meat and chicken broth rather than veal stock. None of your dinner guests will know the difference unless you tell them. 🙂

Scale

Ingredients

3 lbs. all natural veal stew meat, cut in large pieces (Catelli Brothers©; if available, use veal breast meat or shoulder cut in pieces.)
1 large onion, quartered (large pieces)
10 oz. pack of cleaned and cut leeks (chopped into 2 inch pieces)
1 stalk celery (cut into 1 inch pieces)
4 to 6 cloves garlic (sliced)
4 oz. white button mushrooms (whole is they are small or quarted if larger)
3 to 5 sprigs thyme, fresh (whole)
3 tablespoons parsley, fresh (chopped)
salt, pepper to taste
10 oz. pearl onions (peeled – Mellisa’s Pearl Onions)
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
10 oz fresh carrot sticks (save some to place in bottom of slow cooker; rest chopped in 1 inch pieces)
6 cups chicken or veal stock

Instructions

Slow Cooker Version: Add a handful of carrot sticks and rough cut onion pieces to the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the veal pieces evenly across the bottom of the cooker and top with the vegetables, herbs and spices.
Carefully pour stock over the meat and vegetable so as not to displace too much.
Skim the broth as the meat cooks.
After 2 hours or so, remove about a cup of liquid from the pot. Set aside to cool.
Replace the lid as quickly as possible and continue cooking.
About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking period, prepare the sauce mixture.
In a seperate pan, combine the flour and the reserved stock until well mixed. heat slowly and add the butter. Stir until melted and well combined. Add slowly and evenly throughout the crock pot contents and mix glently to combine with the rest of the broth.
Just before serving stir in the heavy cream.
Total cooking time = HIGH for 4 hours.

Notes

With the exception of the final step, Blanquette de Veau à l’ancienne is easily prepared in a slow cooker. We’ve adapted the recipe for this purpose.

My recipe (pictured below) was prepared in a stove top Dutch oven using the same ingredients as listed in the recipe with the exception of the carrots and the initial cooking process.

First, I blanch the meat in water with a yellow onion, the leeks and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. After 5 minutes or so on a slow simmer, I remove the meat and vegetables to set aside until I assembled the remaining ingredients.

The Dutch oven is given a quick rinse. Then I place the meat and the remaining recipe ingredients, along with a 10 oz. pack of peeled pearl onions, back in the pot to cover with the broth.

The pot is set to simmer for about 3 hours total.

Later, I remove some of the cooking broth from the pot ahead to time to allow it to cool. It is then used to prepare the crean sauce.

You will note that eggs are not used in this recipe. The original and authentic recipe does call for eggs in the sauce.

I had a can of sliced carrots in the pantry so I drained the carrots and added them at the end of the cooking period – just long enough to heat through.

Keywords: veal, crock pot, slow cooker, blanquette de veau à l'ancienne