Braised Veal Leg

When you're smack bang in the middle of winter, a slow cooked stew is a welcome offering and while they might more usually involve beef, chicken or pork I've taken a different tack and used Veal leg.



I'm lucky that my butcher sells the legs already boned so that just leaves me the task of dividing it into something more usable. When it comes to cutting it, when you open up the leg you'll find that there are already seams dividing the leg into different parts. Following these lines will allow you to easily cut out five or six segments. The next part is simple - trim off that sticky white skin and cut down the segments into nice sized chunks.



The stew I've made is a little bit different - I've deglazed the pan with marsala, I find that its flavour has a real affinity to veal - and there's no tomato in the dish.

Braised Veal Leg

1 boned veal leg, trimmed and cut into pieces
flour, for dusting
1 large red onion, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ cup marsala
hot chicken stock (or vegetable)
potatoes, cut into quarters

Prepare the veal:

Dust the veal pieces in plain flour - shaking off the excess.
Place a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat - add oil and a little butter - when the butter has melted and is starting to sizzle add in the veal pieces, a few at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. When the veal has browned on both sides, remove from the pan and set to one side. Continue this process until all the veal has been cooked.



In the same pan, add in the onion, carrots and celery and cook until softened but not coloured. Pour in the marsala - it should sizzle as it hits the pan - and using a flat spatula, scrap up all that goodness clinging to the bottom of the pan.

Return the browned veal to the pan and add enough hot chicken (or vegetable) stock to just about cover the veal.

Cover the pan and place in a preheated 160°C oven - give it a stir every half hour. After about two hours, remove the lid, add in the quartered potatoes and cook until they have softened and the veal is tender.