dynagirl

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1

Veau Poêlé / Veau Poêlé à la Matignon, pp. 353-4.
Casserole-roasted Veal with Diced Vegetables
It’s not as easy as it used to be to find veal. Personally, I think I’ve only had it once or twice in the last decade, with the exception of the ground veal that goes into bolognese. You know what? That’s a total shame, as it’s damned tasty. Time and Saturday chores were pressing, so we crapped out and went to the “butcher” at Copp’s, but next time, I’ll go to Whole Foods, for sure – better chance of somewhat ethically raised veal, and definitely better meat with a decent variety of cuts.
Anyhoo – to the food! This was wonderful! A basic dice of vegetables (carrot, celery, onion) sautéed; then add the meat, some liquid; cover and turn it down. When I got to the point where you’re supposed to take out the dice to make the sauce, I thought it was a shame to lose all that flavor, and mushed them up – which, as it turned out, was the only difference between plain veau poêlé and veau poêlé à la Matignon.

Haricots Verts à la Crème, pp. 444.
These I was going to make with the veal, but it was turning out so rich that I saved them for the next night. Basically, you blanch the beans, then toss with salt, pepper, butter and cream, and let it simmer down, and toss with parseley. For regular beans, I still prefer the Cook’s Illustrated ones with garlic and breadcrumbs and parmesan, but these were very nice, and very elegant.

This (frightfully plated) veal was served with Julia’s wild rice, but egg noodles would work better. That’s 1905 Salad from Columbia Restaurant behind it.