Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 Read online

  2 to 3 cups brown lamb- or beef-stock or canned beef bouillon

  ¾ lb. ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped (1 cup of pulp); or 3 Tb tomato paste

  2 cloves mashed garlic

  ¼ tsp thyme or rosemary

  1 bay leaf

  Pour out the fat; add 2 cups of stock or bouillon to the sauté skillet. Bring to the boil and scrape up coagulated sauté juices. Then pour the liquid into the casserole. Bring to the simmer for a few seconds shaking and stirring to mix liquid and flour. Add the tomatoes or tomato paste and the other ingredients. Bring to the simmer for 1 minute, then add more stock if necessary; meat should be almost covered by liquid.

  Put the lid on the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven; regulate heat so casserole simmers slowly and regularly for 1 hour. Then pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a bowl. Rinse out the casserole. Remove any loose bones and return the lamb to the casserole. Skim the fat off the sauce in the bowl, correct seasoning, and pour sauce back into casserole. Then add the vegetables which have been prepared as follows:

  6 to 12 peeled “boiling” potatoes

  6 peeled carrots

  6 peeled turnips

  12 to 18 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter

  While the lamb is simmering, trim the potatoes into ovals 1½ inches long, and cover with cold water until ready to use. Quarter the carrots and turnips, cut them into 1½ inch lengths, and, if you have the patience, trim the edges to round them slightly. Pierce a cross in the root ends of the onions so they will cook evenly.

  Press the vegetables into the casserole around and between the pieces of lamb. Baste with the sauce. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove, cover and return to the oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers slowly and steadily for about an hour longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, tilt casserole, and skim off fat. Taste sauce again, and correct seasoning.

  1 cup shelled green peas

  ¼ lb. or about 1 cup green beans cut into ½-inch pieces

  3 quarts boiling water

  1½ Tb salt

  While the casserole is in the oven, drop the peas and beans into the boiling salted water and boil rapidly, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender. Immediately drain in a colander. Run cold water over them for 2 to 3 minutes to stop the cooking and to set the color. Put aside until ready to use.

  (*) May be prepared ahead to this point. Set casserole aside, cover askew. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove before proceeding with recipe.

  Shortly before serving, place the peas and beans in the casserole on top of the other ingredients and baste with the bubbling sauce. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until the green vegetables are tender.

  Serve the navarin from its casserole or arrange it on a very hot platter.

  VARIATIONS

  The preceding navarin is a model for other stews. You may, for instance, omit the green beans, peas, and potatoes, and add navy beans or lentils simmered in salted water until almost tender, or canned kidney beans, then finish them off for half an hour with the lamb. The following are prepared exactly like beef stews.

  Civet de Mouton

  [Lamb or Mutton Stew with Red Wine, Onions, Mushrooms, and Bacon]

  Follow the recipe for boeuf bourguignon, braising the lamb 2 hours rather than the 3½ to 4 hours required for beef.

  Pilaf de Mouton à la Catalane

  [Lamb or Mutton Stew with Rice, Onions, and Tomatoes]

  Follow the recipe for boeuf à la catalane, using boned shoulder or shank. Time the cooking for about 2 hours rather than the 3 or 4 required for beef.

  Daube de Mouton

  [Casserole of Lamb or Mutton with Wine, Mushrooms, Carrots, Onions, and Herbs]

  Follow the recipe for daube de boeuf, using boned shoulder or shank. Cook the lamb for 2 hours rather than the 3 or 4 in the recipe.

  Blanquette d’Agneau

  [Spring Lamb Stew with Onions and Mushrooms]

  This is a delicious stew for “genuine spring lamb,” and is cooked exactly like the blanquette de veau in the Veal section.

  Lamb Shanks

  Lamb shanks, jarrets de devant, are considered part of the shoulder in France, so no special recipes are given for them. They may be boned or left whole, and you should allow one shank per person. Use any of the preceding lamb stew recipes. (Braised lamb shanks means that the meat is browned, then simmered in a liquid, and is just another name for stew or fricassee.)

  LAMB PATTIES

  Fricadelles d’Agneau

  Delicious “lamburgers” may be made using freshly ground neck or other lean meat and mixing it with any of the stuffing suggestions for boned lamb–8.

  Except for the garlic and herb stuffing, which is a flavoring only, use 1 part of stuffing for 3 to 4 parts of ground lamb. Sauté and sauce them according to directions in the hamburger recipes which begin.

  MOUSSAKA

  MOUSSAKA

  [Lamb and Eggplant Mold]

  Lamb can hardly be considered a leftover when it receives this elaborate treatment. A mold is lined with the skins of cooked eggplant, and filled with a carefully seasoned mixture of cooked lamb, eggplant, and mushrooms. It presents itself after baking and unmolding as a shiny, dark purple cylinder surrounded with a deep red tomato sauce. It is delicious either hot or cold.

  Serve the moussaka with steamed rice or risotto, and buttered green beans or a green salad. A fairly full-bodied, dry, chilled white wine such as a Mâcon or Hermitage goes well with it. Moussaka also makes a handsome cold dish served with tomato salad and French bread.

  For 8 people

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, in time to bake the eggplant.

  Ingredients for 3 cups of tomato sauce

  Set tomato sauce to simmer.

  5 lbs. of eggplant (five 1-lb. eggplants if possible, each 7 to 8 inches long)

  1 Tb salt

  2 Tb olive oil

  A shallow roasting pan

  Remove green caps and slice eggplants in half lengthwise. Cut deep gashes in the flesh of each half, but do not pierce the skin. Sprinkle flesh with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Wash under cold water, squeeze out juice, and dry on paper towels. Rub with olive oil and set eggplants skin side down in a roasting pan. Pour in ½ inch of water. Bake in upper third of preheated oven for about half an hour, or until just tender.

  A 9- to 10-inch skillet

  ⅔ cup (3 ounces) finely minced onions

  1 Tb olive oil A 3-quart mixing bowl

  While eggplants are baking, cook the onions slowly in olive oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender but not browned. Scrape into mixing bowl.

  ½ lb. finely minced mushrooms

  2 Tb minced shallots or green onions

  1½ Tb olive oil

  A handful at a time, twist mushrooms into a ball in the corner of a towel to extract their juice. Add the juice to the tomato sauce. Sauté the mushrooms and shallots or onions in olive oil for 5 minutes or so, until pieces separate from each other. Add to mixing bowl.

  3 Tb olive oil

  When eggplants are tender, carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving the skin intact. Chop half the flesh and place in the mixing bowl. Dice or slice the rest and toss it briefly in very hot olive oil to brown lightly. Set aside until later.

  ½ tsp olive oil

  A 2-quart cylindrical mold (preferably a charlotte) 4 inches high and 7 inches in diameter

  Oil the mold. Line it with the eggplant skins, their purple sides against the mold; place each lengthwise, a pointed end at the center of the bottom of the mold, the other end falling down outside the mold.

  2¼ cups ground cooked lamb

  1 tsp salt

  ½ tsp thyme

  ½ tsp pepper

  ½ tsp rosemary

  1 medium clove crushed garlic

  ⅔ cup thick brown sauce (preferably Numbers I or II; but the quick sauce, Number III,
can be used)

  3 Tb tomato paste

  3 eggs Aluminum foil

  Reset oven to 375 degrees. Add all ingredients at the left to the mixing bowl containing the onions, mushrooms, and chopped eggplant. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon to blend thoroughly. Taste carefully for seasoning. Spread an inch of the mixture in the bottom of the mold. Arrange over that a layer of the previously sautéed eggplant. Continue thus, ending with a layer of the lamb mixture. Fold the dangling ends of eggplant skin up over the surface. Cover the mold with foil and a lid or plate.

  (*) May be prepared ahead to this point.

  A pan of boiling water

  A hot serving platter

  The tomato sauce

  A sauceboat

  Set mold in a pan of boiling water. Bake in bottom third of oven for 1½ hours. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Reverse on a hot serving platter and surround with ½ cup of the tomato sauce. Pass the rest of the sauce separately.

  VEAL

  Veau

  Veal is an interesting and delicious meat when it is cooked well, and like chicken it lends itself to a variety of flavorings and sauces. The best quality of veal is milk-fed and is between 5 and 12 weeks old. The flesh is firm, smooth, fine-grained, and of a very pale pink color. The fat, which is white and satiny, is concentrated almost entirely inside the carcass around the kidneys. The bones are soft and reddish and can easily be sawed without splintering. After 12 weeks veal becomes calf and is of no further culinary interest until it develops into beef. At whatever age the veal animal leaves its milk diet and starts in on grain or grass, its flesh becomes increasingly rosy until, when it is almost of calf age, it is frankly reddish. A considerable amount of the veal found in American markets is partially grass or grain fed, and its flesh color ranges from dark pink to light red. It can make reasonably good eating, but never has the delicacy, flavor, and tenderness of milk-fed veal. Train yourself when shopping for veal to look carefully at its color. Once you are aware of what good quality should look like, you can avoid the reddish pieces. You will be more likely to find the better qualities of veal in markets catering to a European clientele.

  CASSEROLE-ROASTED VEAL

  Veau Poêlé

  With no natural fat covering and no marblings of fat inside the meat, a roast of veal will always be juicier and have more flavor if it is cooked in a covered casserole with aromatic vegetables. This is a particularly good method for the rather dark pink veal most frequently found in American markets.

  CUTS FOR ROASTING

  Count on 1 pound of boneless meat for 2 or 3 people.

  Round Roast—Cuisseau Raccourci. An American duplication of French cuts of the hind leg of veal is not possible as the two cutting methods are entirely different. Because the French animal is larger and older, between 5 and 12 weeks rather than the usual 3 to 6 of American veal, the French round is separated into lengthwise muscles like beef. These are top round or noix, bottom round or sous noix, and sirloin tip or noix pâtissière; they make compact, boneless, cylindrical roasts which carve into neat slices. Top round and sirloin tip are the choice morsels, and top round is also used for scallops. The American round is formed into roasts, steaks, or scallops by cutting directly across the grain, so one piece contains the top and bottom rounds and the sirloin tip.

  Rump—Culotte. This should be boned and rolled.

  Sirloin—Quasi. This should be boned and rolled.

  Loin or Saddle—Longe, or Selle, or if the kidneys are included, Rognonnade. This is the loin-chop section. When used for roasts, it is usually boned and rolled, and is an expensive cut.

  Shoulder—Épaule. This is boned and rolled, and is less expensive than the previously listed roasts. It is not always available as some markets do not buy the forequarters of veal.

  PREPARATION FOR COOKING

  Select a boneless roast from any of the veal cuts in the list. It should weigh at least 3 pounds. Have it tied to make, if possible, a compact cylindrical shape 4 to 5½ inches in diameter. As it is usually not the custom of American butchers to place thin strips of fresh pork fat along the top, bottom, and sides of a roast, we have suggested strips of blanched bacon in the recipes to follow; the bacon bastes the veal as it cooks.

  TIMING AND TEMPERATURES

  Veal is always cooked to well done; that is, until its juices run a clear yellow with no trace of rosy color—about 175 degrees on a meat thermometer. If the meat is at room temperature when it goes into the oven, estimate 30 to 40 minutes per pound depending on the thickness of the meat.

  VEGETABLE SUGGESTIONS

  Starchy vegetables

  Risotto, or soubise (rice and onions)

  Potatoes scalloped in cream, or sautéed in butter

  Buttered noodles

  Other vegetables

  Braised lettuce, endive, or celery, or baked cucumbers

  Spinach braised in cream or in stock

  Brussels sprouts with cream, or with cheese sauce

  Creamed, stuffed, or sautéed mushrooms

  Buttered peas, and tomatoes stuffed with herbs

  A garniture of glazed carrots, onions, turnips and sautéed mushrooms

  WINE SUGGESTION

  A good, red Bordeaux from the Médoc district is usually the best choice.

  VEAU POÊLÉ

  [Casserole-roasted Veal]

  This is a very simple and savory recipe for veal. The meat renders a certain amount of juice as it roasts, so no special sauce is necessary if you are content with the French system of a spoonful per serving to moisten the meat. For more sauce, see the suggestion at the end of the recipe.

  For 6 people

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  A 3-lb. roast of veal, boned and tied

  Dry the veal on paper towels.

  A heavy fireproof casserole just large enough to hold the veal easily

  2 Tb butter

  2 Tb oil

  Place the casserole over moderately high heat with the butter and oil. When you see the butter foam begin to subside, brown the veal lightly on all sides; this takes 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the veal.

  3 Tb butter, if needed

  2 sliced carrots

  2 sliced onions

  A medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, ½ bay leaf, and ¼ tsp thyme tied in cheesecloth

  If the browning fat has burned, pour it out and add butter. Stir in the vegetables and herb bouquet, cover, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes without browning.

  ½ tsp salt

  ¼ tsp pepper

  A meat thermometer

  2 strips of fat bacon, simmered for 10 minutes in 1 quart of water, rinsed, drained, and dried

  Aluminum foil

  Bulb baster

  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the veal. Return it to the casserole and baste with the butter in the casserole. Insert meat thermometer. Lay the blanched bacon over the meat, then the foil. Cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so meat cooks slowly and steadily for about 1⅔ hours. Baste it 2 or 3 times with the juices in the casserole. The roast is done at a thermometer reading of 175 degrees, or as soon as its juices run clear yellow when the meat is pricked deeply with a fork.

  A hot platter

  Salt and pepper

  A hot gravy boat

  Place the veal on a hot platter and discard trussing strings. The veal and vegetables will have produced a cup or more of juice in the casserole. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from them. Set casserole over moderate heat while scraping up any coagulated cooking juices from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon, and mashing the vegetables into the liquid. Boil down rapidly if necessary; you should have ¾ to 1 cup. Correct seasoning, and strain into a hot gravy boat. Garnish the meat platter with whatever vegetables you have chosen, and serve.

  (*) If you are not serving immediately, return the veal and sauce to the casserole, cover partially, and set in turned-off hot oven where it will stay warm for half an hour at least.

  VA
RIATION

  Veau Poêlé à la Matignon

  [Casserole-roasted Veal with Diced Vegetables]

  ⅓ cup Madeira

  Follow the master recipe for roast veal, but instead of slicing the carrots and onions, cut them into ⅛-inch dice. After browning the veal, remove it and cook the vegetables slowly in butter for 10 minutes. Then add the Madeira and boil it down rapidly until it has almost completely evaporated. Return the meat to the casserole and spread half the vegetables over it, leaving the rest in the bottom of the casserole. Proceed with the recipe.

  1 cup good brown stock or canned beef bouillon

  1 Tb arrowroot or cornstarch blended with 2 Tb Madeira

  Optional: 1 diced canned truffle and juice from the can

  When the veal is done and has been removed from the casserole, add the stock or bouillon and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove the herb bouquet and bacon, and degrease the sauce. Pour in the starch mixture and optional truffles and truffle juice. Simmer for 5 minutes. Correct seasoning. Sauce should be lightly thickened.