Dinner Dates: Veal and Mushroom Stew

This meal was kind of involved, but really worth it in the end.

Veal and Mushroom Stew
Cookbook: The Slow Cooker Collection

Yay or Nay: Andria: Yay! This was so incredibly tasty. Also it smelled so delicious while it was cooking, it was quite ridiculous. John: Mega-Yay! Usually, John is not a big fan of mushrooms; he calls them "The Devil's Fungus." But he couldn't get enough of this stew, so he guesses mushrooms are pretty OK some times!

Substitutions and Comments: Again we had to make this meal gluten-free, which we did using the simple substitution of all purpose flour with white rice flour. This meal took quite a bit of time and effort in terms of preparation, mostly because both of us are working and we weren`t able to prepare things during the day. We fried up the onions and leek mixture the night before and put it in a sealed container in the fridge. Andria actually had to come home on her lunch to brown the veal and set the slow cooker. The mushrooms were also sauted a bit in advance. Also, just a note, we did use the whipping cream, and I thought it added quite a bit to the stew. Why not add whipping cream when the opportunity arises?

A note about the mushrooms - The best way to clean mushrooms is actually not to put them under running water, but instead use a damp cloth and gently wipe them. Remove the stems, especially on the shiitake mushrooms are they are rather tough. We personally chop our mushrooms into 8 pieces, but you can also slice them in your prefer.

Recipe:
2 1/2 lb stewing veal cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
3 leeks (white and light green part only), chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
2 1/2 chicken broth
4 cups small button or cremini mushrooms
2 cup shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whipping cream (optional)
1/4 cup parsley

Trim veal. In large bowl, toss veal with flour to coat. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown veal in batches. Transfer to slow cooker.

Browned veal in slowcooker

Drain fat from skillet; add 1 tbsp of the butter. Fry onion, leeks, garlic and bay leaf over medium heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened, 5 mins. Add 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, thyme and nutmeg.

Leeks and onions in broth.

Stir in broth; bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Scrape over veal; stir to combine.

Everything in the slow cooker

4. Cover and cook on low until veal is tender, about 6 to 7 hours. Skim off any fat. Discard bay leaf.

5. Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat remaining butter over medium-high heat; saute button and shiitake mushroom with remaining salt and pepper until lightly browned, 10 mins. Add to slow cooked with lemon juice.