veal blanquette

Season the mixed minced meat with pepper and spice salt. Shape into meatballs. Bring a quantity of vegetable stock to the boil. Lower the heat and poach the meatballs until they float. Allow to cool down and then fry the balls in a pan with some butter. Keep them warm until you finish the recipe. Dust the veal stew with flour. Fry the meat brown all over in butter. Season with pepper and salt. Put the meat in a casserole together with white veal stock and a bottle of Gueuze beer. The meat must be submerged. If necessary, add some more vegetable stock. Make a bouquet garni from parsley stalks, bay leaf and thyme. Add it to the rest of the preparation in the casserole. Leave to simmer for one hour on a low heat. Check the cooking and if necessary, let it simmer a little more. When the stew is done, remove the meat from the casserole and keep covered but warm until further use.

Fry the bacon strips until crispy. Keep them in a large bowl. Then fry the pearl onions in the same pan as the bacon strips and add some chopped parsley at the last minute. Add the preparation to the bacon strips. Fry the mushrooms dry in a non-stick pan and add them to the rest of the bowl. Cut a few onions into half-moons and fry them until they almost caramelise in a little butter. Add some crushed garlic cloves at the last minute. Stir with the contents of the bowl. Cut a few small gherkins into slices and mix with the contents of the bowl as well. Make a roux (butter and flour) and blend into a thick sauce with the cooking liquid from the stew, a can of culinary cream, a couple of tablespoons of grain mustard, half a bottle of coffee cream and a couple of large splashes of Worcestershire sauce. Now put all the preparations together, meatballs, stew, cream sauce and the contents of the bowl, into one large pot and mingle well. Bring to the right temperature to serve and, if necessary, season with some salt and pepper. Pour the blanquette into a preheated serving dish and finish off with chopped spring onions. Serve with Belgian fries or mashed potatoes.