Veal Stew with Red Wine and Garlic

A rich, generous stew of vegetables, veal or beef chunks, garlic, Italian seasonings and a lot of red Burgundy wine. Allow yourself a leisurely afternoon to make this stew, and you will be rewarded with a highly soul-satisfying meal in a bowl. In preparation for this dish, spend a quick half-hour doing all the ingredient chopping at the beginning, then it is a simple matter of adding everything at the appropriate time. It is very nice served with a loaf of crusty bread. I often pour the mixture into my slow cooker after the initial stages, and simmer for 3 hours (adding the remaining ingredients after 1 1/2 hours).

ingredients

2 pounds boneless veal shoulder or boneless beef round, trimmed of fat and cut into
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Vidalia or yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2 cups red Burgundy wine
2 cups homemade beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup V-8 juice
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (3 cups)
1 can (13 3/4 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and halved
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 cup diced peeled potato
1 cup shelled fresh peas or frozen peas
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

directions

1
Place the veal cubes in a large self-sealing bag with the flour. Seal the bag and shake well to coat the meat with the flour. In a 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat cubes on all sides, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes or until meat is a deep golden brown. Make sure that the pan is always hot enough to sizzle the meat and the vegetables, but not so hot that they burn and stick to the pan. Remove meat from pan.
2
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Transfer the onion mixture to a dish. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan; add the carrots and celery and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, until deep golden brown.
3
Return the meat and onion mixture to the pan. Add 1 cup of the red wine, the beef stock and V-8 juice, scraping up the crusty browned bits of meat and vegetables from the bottom of the pan so they can meld with the liquid. Stir in the tomato sauce, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper until well blended. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.
4
Stir in the remaining 1 cup wine, the mushrooms, artichoke hearts, asparagus, potato and peas. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer, or until the meat is very tender.
5
Taste for seasoning and remove the bay leaves. Ladle the stew into shallow serving bowls and sprinkle with parsley.