It’s very interesting to browse through the cookbooks of loved ones, a gesture that will probably end with our generation because now everything is virtual. One thing that strikes me is when you find recipes from friends or relatives of your relatives, even though you were completely unaware of their existence. It also happens with photo albums, especially when they depict events like Sunday lunches, with endless gatherings, or weddings or baptisms. You point out someone who piques your curiosity, and no one remembers who they are!
I have a recipe book from my great-aunt Helia. She wasn’t directly related to me (she was the sister of my maternal great-aunt’s husband), and perhaps that’s why so many of her recipes are from friends and relatives I’ve never met.
All this long preamble to say that the stew from my mysterious Aunt Rina is delicious!
Old-Fashioned Stew
- Preparation time: 20 minutes+ 2 hours cooking
- For 4 servings
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 800 grams of veal stew
- 100 grams of pancetta
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 garlic clove
- Rosemary and thyme
- 1 small glass of cognac
- Flour to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Butter to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instructions
- Lightly flour the veal.
- Mince the vegetables.
- Cut the pancetta into very small cubes.
- In a pot, preferably earthenware, lightly brown the meat in oil, then add the pancetta, diced vegetables, bouquet garni, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are well combined. Add hot water until the meat is completely covered and cook over low heat for about two to three hours.
- Season with salt and pepper, then add the cognac, let the alcohol evaporate, and then serve it.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- For gentle, even heat, I use a lame spreader net. It’s very inexpensive and very useful.
- It seems like a lot of meat, but these days, veal loses a lot of weight when cooked, especially veal.
- Always add salt and pepper at the end of cooking, especially if cooking for a long time is necessary.
- For the recipe for mashed potatoes click here.
Paola and Cristina: mum’s cousins
