Veal Ragout

Part of the reason I'm posting this now is to exhibit the type of various recipes that this blog will have.  This is a wonderful dish but definitely ingredient heavy and time consuming.  I will never forget the first time I made this.  Our friends Frank and Summer were coming over for dinner and I had failed to read the receipe ahead of time and so missed how long it had to simmer.  Well it was late and we were starving and Summer and I took the ingredients and made due with a highly modified version.  Well we all licked our bowls clean.  I've only made it twice since but it has turned heads each and every time. 

I recommend very light sides to accompany this ragout. 

This is a very rich meal so if you have a sensitive constitution be forewarned!

Veal Ragout

Ingredients:

2 pounds 1-inch pieces trimmed boneless veal stew meat
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup (or more) water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cinnamon sticks
1 1/4 pounds white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Place veal in medium bowl. Sprinkle flour over; toss to coat. Shake off excess. Sprinkle veal with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Working in batches, add veal and sauté until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to bowl. Add onions and celery to pot; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Return veal to pot. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, 1 cup water, parsley, and cinnamon sticks; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir potatoes and cream into stew; season with salt and pepper. Cover; simmer until veal and potatoes are very tender, stirring often and thinning with more water if necessary, about 1 hour. Discard cinnamon sticks and serve.