Tag: veal recipes

Veal Marsala Bolognese with Turnip Noodles

It’s almost New Year’s and stigmas aside, I really want to get back into healthy eating. The December donutfest threw me off the wagon, and I’ve been having a hard time getting back on! I’m back to the “I’ll start tomorrow”,  or just after the weekend, or my favorite, “Monday is a new day”. Except Monday comes and goes and it’s already time for the ball to drop.

So here I am, heading into New Year’s Eve and I’m renewing my commitment to pull out my spiralizer and eat more veggies and less carbs. Who’s in for the ride?

We’ll start with these turnip noodles and this amazingly rich bolognese made with veal (my favorite protein), mushrooms and marsala wine, a twist on the classic chicken marsala.

I’m a big fan of marsala (it’s got wine and mushrooms, hello?!), but bolognese? Not so much. Classic bolognese is made with ground beef (not my fave) and dry red wine, and the good stuff is usually simmered for hours. Truth be told, I usually just make my split-second bolognese by browning my beef and adding store-bought marinara, which is probably why I don’t like it very much. My kids, on the other hand, love it over spaghetti with a side of zoodles. It’s by go-to whenever I need a quick and easy dinner, and eating it over zoodles makes it guilt-free too.

But I’m marinara’d out. I use it for my 2-ingredient lazy meatballs, my quick and easy shakshuka, my cheesy zoodle marinara and so much more. I wanted something different so I decided to create a bolognese that’s marinara-free. Something not so heavy, but rich and tasty, and oh so delicious. I hit the nail on the head.

Not only is this veal bolognese amazingly rich and satisfying, it’s virtually guilt-free when served with spiralized turnip noodles, a nice change from the overdone zoodles. Looks like January 2016 is going to be healthy and delicious indeed. Happy New Year!

Veal Marsala Bolognese

10oz. baby bella mushrooms, stems trimmed and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 lb ground veal
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup marsala wine
1 cup veal or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, for garnish

Method:

Saute the mushrooms in olive oil until all the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to brown. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant. Add veal  and cook until crumbly and no longer pink. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook until flour is incorporated. Add the wine, stock, bay leaf and seasoning and simmer, stirring, until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Continue to cook over low heat for an additional 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve over turnip noodles. Garnish with parsley.

Turnip Noodles

1 turnip
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Wash the turnip well (you do not need to peel) and spiralize into noodles (I use the 3mm blade on this spiralizer).  Saute the noodles in olive oil until tender and season with salt and pepper.

Related Recipes:

spaghetti squash bolognese
melt-in-your-mouth veal meatballs
veal shepherds pie with celery root mashed potatoes
caraway roasted turnips

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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Veal Meatballs

I’m a huge fan of veal. It’s got a lovely flavor and that tender, melt in your mouth quality. It’s also much lighter than beef, so you don’t feel as heavy when you eat it. One of my favorite veal recipes is for these delicious meatballs. I don’t call ’em melt-in-your-mouth for nothing. They really do melt. in. your. mouth. While this recipe uses few ingredients, it’s chock full of flavor, mostly due to the bay leaves. They give the broth and meatballs a delicious flavor while imparting the most heavenly aroma. You’ll wanna make them just for the smell!

Having little kids, meatballs are definitely a staple in my house, but the plain old beef meatballs in marinara sauce does get kind of boring. My kids gobble these down like you can’t imagine. And yours will too!

Have you seen my veal shepherd’s pie with celery root mashed potatoes? It’s another great veal recipe that you must try!

Veal Meatballs

2 lbs. ground veal
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cups water
5 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a bowl, combine the veal, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into balls. In the meantime, saute the onion in olive oil until deeply golden and caramelized. Add the water, sugar, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours.

If you wish to thicken the cooking liquid, you may continue to cook it over high heat until reduced to desired consistency.

1 year ago: wild mushroom barley soup
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Veal Shepherd’s Pie with Celery Root Mashed Potatoes

I love shepherd’s pie, especially in the fall, when the weather is turning cold. Warming up to a hearty one-dish meal is the perfect end to a chilly night. I was getting a little bored of the classic beef sherpherd’s pie, so I decided to reinvent it with lighter and tastier ingredients.

For inspiration, I went to my local produce store and looked around for some seasonal ingredients to help take my shepherd’s pie to the next level. The knobbly celery root (also known as celeriac) caught my eye and I was determined to find a place for the humble root vegetable. Celery root adds a delicious hint of flavor to mashed potatoes, and lightens up it’s texture. Of course, it also helps deguiltify the whole mashed potato thing altogether :)

To go along with my lightened up topping, I replaced the beef with veal – a tender calf meat that’s lighter and lower in fat than beef.  This nontraditional shepherd’s pie recipe turned out extraordinary. It might be even better than the original!

Check out the creative uses of other root vegetables in the Kosher Connection October Link-Up below!

Veal Shepherd’s Pie with Celery Root Mashed Potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 lb. ground veal
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock
1 dried bay leaf
2 tbsp dry red wine
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large celery root, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp margarine (I used smartbeat light)
1/3 cup pareve milk (I used almond milk)
pinch of nutmeg
salt, to taste
Melted margarine or olive oil, to brush

Method:

Saute onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until golden. Add veal and stir to break up the meat. Cook until veal changes color. Add flour and stir for about 2 minutes, until combined. Add stock, bay leaf, wine, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for approximately 30 minutes, until thickened.

For the topping, add potatoes and celery root to a pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Strain in a colander. Return the vegetables to the pot and mash well over a low flame. Remove from heat and mix in margarine, milk, salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust to desired consistency and flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon veal mixture into a greased baking dish (or individual baking dishes) and top with mashed potatoes. Brush with margarine or olive oil and bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

1 year ago: leftover turkey pot pie

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