Letter #11, Post #5

Happy Father's Day!
Sunday 17 June 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "My mother desires me to tell you that I am a very good housekeeper, which I have no reluctance in doing, because I really think it my peculiar excellence, and for this reason-I always take care to provide such things as please my own appetite, which I consider as the chief merit in housekeeping. I have had some ragout veal, and I mean to have some haricot mutton tomorrow. We are to kill a pig soon." - Jane Austen, Saturday 17-Sunday 18 November 1798

It seems like Jane was enjoying her new duties as housekeeper. People still enjoy ragout veal and haricot mutton. Just like the stories she created things that pleased Jane Austen's appetite over two hundred years ago still please people today.

Since Jane Austen recommends it we should all get out our crock pots and try some veal ragout (I think I will use a beef roast, not a big fan of where veal comes from) for dinner sometime... in the fall... maybe in November... on the 17th? I will put it on the calendar, see what happens and let you know. It you try it before me, let me know how it turns out.

Veal Ragout

Sep 04, 2009 by Laura Frankel
from Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes
(John Wiley & Sons, 2009)
Makes 6 servings (meat)

Each fall, when the first cold snap hits, I start looking for hearty dishes with big flavor like this homey bit of French peasant artistry—veal ragout—named with the French term ragouter, or “revive the taste.” The delicate veal in the ragout is complemented by the flavorful herbs and cipollini onions. Recipes like this are perfect for the slow cooker. The longer the ingredients “hang out” together, the better the flavor. Each ingredient has the time it needs to flavor and perfume the entire mix. I like to serve the veal ragout with a mix of seasonal squashes, which soak up the veal’s sauce without overpowering the dish.

The veal ragout can be made 3 days ahead of serving and can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 1 month. To reheat gently, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place the ragout in a casserole and cover. Reheat in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.—Laura Frankel

Ingredients:
Olive oil
3 pounds veal shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
10 cipollini onions, peeled
4 medium shallots, cut in half
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 ounces (1/2 cup) dried porcini mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine such as chardonnay

Suggested garnishes
Chopped fresh sage leaves
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Preheat a slow cooker to low. Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with oil.

2. Season the veal with salt and pepper. Mix the Herbes de Provence and flour together in a medium bowl. Dredge the veal in the flour mixture. Brown the veal in the saute pan on all sides, in batches, adding more oil if necessary to prevent the veal from sticking, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the veal to the slow cooker insert.

3. Add the onions and shallots to the saute pan. Cook until they are quite brown and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer the onions to the insert.

4. Add the carrots and fennel to the saute pan and cook until they are lightly colored, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes more, until the garlic is very fragrant and slightly softened. Transfer the carrots, fennel, and garlic to the insert.

5. Raise the heat under the saute pan, pour in the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer, scraping up with a wooden spatula any browned bits that have stuck to the pan. Transfer the liquid to the insert.

6. Add the tomato paste, dried mushrooms, bay leaf, and wine to the insert. Cover and cook the ragout on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours until the veal is tender.

7. Ladle the veal and the ragout braising liquid into a large bowl or deep platter. Sprinkle with the sage and parsley. Serve the veal ragout with your favorite squash or  potato dish.

Recipe © 2009 Laura Frankel. All rights reserved.

Get more deliciousness at http://leitesculinaria.com/19898/recipes-veal-ragout.html

Haricot Mutton Recipe from Britain Origin: Britain

Period: Traditional

This is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic stew of cold neck or loin of mutton cut into chops, lightly fried with onions and finished in gravy with vegetables that's thickened with flour.

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook. Original Recipe HARICOT MUTTON (Cold Meat Cookery).

INGREDIENTS.—The remains of cold neck or loin of mutton, 2 oz. of butter, 3 onions, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, 1/2 pint of good gravy, pepper and salt to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine, 1 tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 1 head of celery. Mode.—Cut the cold mutton into moderate-sized chops, and take off the fat; slice the onions, and fry them with the chops, in a little butter, of a nice brown colour; stir in the flour, add the gravy, and let it stew gently nearly an hour. In the mean time boil the vegetables until nearly tender, slice them, and add them to the mutton about 1/4 hour before it is to be served. Season with pepper and salt, add the ketchup and port wine, give one boil, and serve. Time.—1 hour. Average cost, exclusive of the cold meat, 9d.

Seasonable at any time.

Modern Redaction Ingredients:

remains of a cold neck or loin of mutton

60g butter or 2 oz. butter

3 onions, sliced

1 dessert spoon plain flour

300ml good gravy or 1/2 pint good gravy

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp port wine

1 tbsp mushroom ketchup

2 carrots, scraped

2 turnips, scraped

1 head of celery

Haricot Mutton Preparation:

Method:

Trim off any fat from the meat then cut the cold mutton into medium-sized chops. Melt the butter in a pan, add the chops and onions and fry until the ingredients are well browned (about 15 minutes). Scatter the flour over the surface and stir to combine then stir in the gravy. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 60 minutes. Add the carrots, turnips and celery to a pan, pour over enough water to cover, bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until nearly tender. Drain the vegetables, slice them and add to the mutton haricot. Return to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes, Skim any fat from the surface, season to taste with salt and black pepper, then add the mushroom ketchup and port wine. Bring the mixture to a boil, take off the heat and serve immediately.

Find more Mrs Beeton Recipes at Celtnet:

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-beeton-haricot-mutton
Copyright © celtnet

Since we are being so domestic let me show you what I made.

The fabrics on the outside used to be a curtain valance that I found at an estate sale. I loved it and figured I would find something to do with it. A little while ago The Sampler Girl posted about a purse she bought at Target and added cross stitch to it; that got me thinking. I love this purse pattern, I have made it before, it is not too difficult and it is a nice size, not too small. So I combined the two idea's with the Sampler Girl's Fancy a Jane Day pattern and this is what I came up with.

A link to the Sampler Girl's post about the Target purse. She has a fun blog.
http://atthehoneysuckletree.blogspot.com/search?q=target+purse

I hope you enjoy your day today and honor all the father's in your life.
Terrie