12402 Veal Cubes Braised with Onions in the Style of the Béarn Serves 3 or 4 Wed Aug 06 01:06:19 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 09:02:07 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12402 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:02:07 GMT The secret of this Simple, tasty family dish is in the cutting of the onions: They must be halved lengthwise and then hand-diced. If they are chopped in any sort of machine, they will end up acrid and mushy. Diced by hand, they retain their body while slowly exuding their sweet moisture. It is this liquid that provides the cooking medium for the cubed lean veal.

The onions and ham slivers are first sweated in a small amount of fat on top of the stove; then the veal and crushed anchovies are stirred in, and the casserole tightly covered. Once the ingredients are hot they are placed in a slow oven to cook for two hours without further attention. This method is ideal for cooking lean tender veal: The morsels of meat turn succulent; the onions, soft but still distinguishable, provide the sauce; the anchovies and ham provide added flavor.

This dish is good with rice, scalloped potatoes, or noodles.

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  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Sweat the onions and ham in the rendered fat in a 3-quart flameproof earthenware or enameled cast-iron casserole over moderately low heat, covered, for 10 minutes.
  • Add the veal, anchovies, and pepper to taste to the casserole. Cover tightly and return to the heat to cook for 5 minutes longer. Transfer to the middle of the oven and cook for 1 hour without disturbing. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and cook for 1 hour longer.
  • Strain the cooking juices into a saucepan. Return the meat and onions to the casserole and return the casserole, uncovered, to the oven to keep hot. Degrease the cooking liquid, boil down by one third. Season with salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the veal and onions. Serve at once with a sprinkling of chives.
  • The best method I have found to avoid tears when chopping onions is to lightly sprinkle the sliced onions and the work surface with vinegar. Rinse the onions afterwards to remove the vinegar.
  • To dice onions, halve them lengthwise and lay them cut side down. Make even vertical cuts from the root end. Make several horizontal cuts, then slice downward into ⅓-inch pieces.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 1¼ to 1½ pounds large white onions (see Notes below)

    ]]>     1½ ounces jambon de Bayonne, prosciutto, or Serrano ham, slivered (about ⅓ cup)

    ]]>     1 tablespoon rendered ham, duck, or goose fat

    ]]>     1¾ to 2 pounds boneless rump of veal, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

    ]]>     4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and crushed to a puree

    ]]>     Freshly ground pepper

    ]]>     Salt (optional)

    ]]>     1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

    ]]>     514 veal 2098 veal piccata