As the winter season slowly comes to a close, it’s time for just one more soul-and-body warming stew! This veal goulash is on the slightly fancy end, with porcini perfectly underlining the fine taste of the veal.

And if you do not have porcini at hand: A very nice variation is to add 2-3 tablespoons of capers before serving instead of the porcini.

Sanni

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

• 20 grams of dried porcini
• 250 ml of lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons of concentrated butter
• 500 grams of veal chuck (sinew and excess fat removed), cut into large cubes
• freshly ground pepper, salt
• 2 generously heaped tablespoons of flour
• 200 grams of shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
• 100 ml of white wine
• zest of one lemon
• 400 ml of veal stock
• 1 generous tablespoon of crème fraîche
• 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Preparation:

1. Soak the mushroom in the lukewarm water for ca. 10 minutes.
2. In a large saucepot, melt the concentrated butter over medium to high heat.
3. Add the meat and sear from all sides for a few minutes. Season with pepper, and lightly salt.
4. Add the shallots and continue frying for another minutes.
5. Sift the flour over the meat and shallots. Briefly sear and then deglaze with the white wine.
6. Let the wine reduce to ca. 1/3, then add the veal stock (alternatively, you can also replace some of the veal stock with the water in which you soak the porcini). Add the lemon zest as well.
7. Stew without cover for ca. 1.5 hours over low to medium heat. The mixture should be simmering, while not boiling vigorously. Stir frequently during this time and make sure to remove any bits sticking to the bottom of the pot. As the liquid reduces add more porcini water and veal stock, if and when needed (you want to obtain a creamy sauce, so some reduction of the liquid is quite alright, but it should not get too thick so the meat can continue simmering).
8. At the end of the cooking time, take of the heat and add the crème fraîche. Season with more pepper and salt to taste.
9. Garnish with parsley. Serve with pappardelle, spaetzle or soft-boiled or mashed potatoes. – Enjoy!