Stewing veal was on sale at the local grocer. I love veal when I don't think about where it comes from. I thought it would be perfect in a hearty stew in place of beef chuck roast. The recipe is meant to be made in a slow cooker but you can convert the times for conventional stove top cooking. My mom used to always make her stew with dumplings. They were one of my favourite things as a kid. These dumplings are gluten free and just as good as I remember.
Ingredients:
1 lb stewing veal or boneless beef chuck roast cut, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 parnips, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2-3 large carrots, halved lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes (Use the rest to make soup!)
1 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir... whatever you have
1 cup beef broth
2 bay leaf
tsp oregano
1/4 cup tomato paste
Method
1. In a large plastic zip lock bag combine flour, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add meat pieces. Shake the bag to coat. Heat oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Brown meat on all sides. Drain off the fat. Set aside.
2. Place chopped vegetables into your slow cooker. Place the browned meat on top of the vegetables.
3. Pour wine and broth over meat. Stir in bay leaf and oregano.
4. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours. If cooking on stove top, use a dutch oven style pot and simmer for 2-3 hours.
5. When time is up, remove bay leaf. Stir in tomato paste to thicken stew. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
6. If making dumplings, leave lid off and turn slow cooker to high-heat while you prepare the dough. If not making dumplings, ladle into serving bowls. Top with fresh chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread.
Gluten Free Dumplings:
1 1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
2 tbsp softened butter
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp fresh parsley or chives, chopped
1. Sift flour with xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and herbs.
2. Lightly cream butter with dry mixture. Lumps are okay. Add drizzle of olive oil.
3. Add milk and mix lightly with spatula until firm dough is formed. Dough should be a moderatly moist consistency - not too wet, not too dry. Add more milk or flour if needed.
4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto hot stew. Cover and cook on high setting for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre of dumpling comes out clean.
5. Ladle soup and dumplings into serving bowls. Top with more fresh chopped parsley.
Stew should always have dumplings - that's the way my mom always makes it as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know, I don't think I've ever had veal. Not because I'm against eating it, but it's never crossed my path or been in a dish that I would order at a restaurant.