I have a long tradition of making Veal Marengo when I decorate the house for Christmas.
However, I am the only one that knows this.
Every year, when I announce that, as we’ll be doing the holiday decorating, I’ll be making Veal Marengo, I get a blank look.
Every year I explain that it’s been a tradition for years.
Every year the blank look continues.
Mon mari did point out that it’s not as if it’s anything special for us…. I make something equally wonderful every weekend so he should be forgiven for not remembering what is served when.
His words; not mine.
Smart man, mon mari….
Veal Marengo, Slow Cooker Version
Total time: 7 hours
Ingredients:
- 16oz (480gr) veal, suitable for braising, cut into 1 1/2 inch (4cm) pieces
- 3 tbs flour
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120ml) beef broth
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) dry white wine
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 10 – 12 medium shallots, peeled, left whole
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms, trimmed, sliced
- 2 tbs cornstarch (maizena) dissolved in 3 tbs water, if needed
Instructions:
- Combine flour, salt and paprika in a food bag.
- Add veal and toss to coat.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the veal and brown on all sides.
- Remove to a plate.
- Add shallots to skillet and brown lightly.
- Add any remaining flour mixture and stir.
- Add beef broth and stir until thickened.
- Add shallots and broth to slow cooker. Top with veal, then mushrooms.
- Add white wine, tomato paste, garlic, and thyme to skillet; stir to combine and pour over mushrooms.
- Tuck in the bouquet garni. cover and cook, low heat, 6 – 7 hours.
- 30 minutes before ready to eat, stir and determine if sauce is thick enough. If not stir in as much of the cornstarch mixture as you think is needed. I didn’t use any.
- Spoon onto a platter and serve.
Serve over pasta, gnocchi, egg noodles (my favorite) or Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions (mon mari’s favorite).
Do you have too many Christmas decorations?
Have you ever tried to get rid of some?
I’ve been putting ‘Christmas’ away. Every year I tell myself that I need to get rid of stuff and every year I pack it away and tell myself I’ll do it the following year.
Procrastination?
Maybe….
It’s just hard to cull memories.
There are the first decorations I bought for my very first tree.
There are the hand-made ornaments mon mari‘s uncle sent every year.
There are the ornaments that I made.
And the ones my sister and mother made… They’re both gone now but I still have the ornaments.
I have really pretty, fancy, hand-blown glass ornaments I collected in Andorra.
And lots of strange, unique things I’ve bought at various Christmas markets over the years.
I could probably get rid of the standard, faded, glass balls I bought at Target – but then what do I put in the back of the tree?
Of course there is also other stuff…..
My collection of Christmas bears and dogs and cats and snowmen person’s of snow that were going to grace the guest house we never got around too. I have six Harrod’s Christmas Bears…..
For some reason, even though I have too many I can’t seem to stop myself from buying just one more candle holder every year.
Is it a sickness?
Am I the only one with this problem?
Sometimes, one or two will be broken, but that really doesn’t make a dent in the problem.
And the only one I broke this year is the only one mon mari ever bought for himself: a hand-blown glass Pistachio Macaron.
I may never be forgiven….
I gave as many as I could to the boys and donated the rest. I have no storage. We are either with the boys at their place or on the road for Christmas … If I buy any, it’s for the grandkids.
My collection grows, too. The only solution I have found is to give a “starter collection” to all newlyweds a month before their first Christmas. I can part with them if I know they will have a good home. ?
Katie this dish sounds wonderful. We had your pork chops in a mushroom sauce the other night – very tasty! I keep all of my decorations too…each year saying I will downsize but somehow it seems to grow bigger each year instead!
We decided to give a box of items to a charity collecting in our area. I ended up retrieving half of them before the pickup! I feel your pain.
My mother made Veal Marengo in my childhood but not necessarily at Xmas ! I don’t she made it to coincide with any particular event hahaha ! I have boxes of Chrissie decs in storage, things children made, things bought at xmas markets and just things and yes one day will cull…..maybe .
I have my father’s first Santa ornament, disgusting fur and all. I can’t seem to part with any of mine. ALL of mine, his, my mother’s I have boxes and boxes. About 50 Boyd’s angel animals, antique glass ornaments, Dicken’s Christmas Carol (the entire village, I want you to know!) just…Husband looked at me when we moved two years ago and said, “Really?”
I just can’t part with them and I can’t stop buying them.
Tanna, great idea. I’l have to start carrying some back – or, wait, sending them back after the next family reunion!
Zoomie, also a good idea – but there are no ‘newlyweds’ coming up in our family…. Sigh….
Ina, I managed to toss out a few of the ones that had little meaning…. But, even then it was very few. I have stopped buying, Mostly.
Gloria, the French want new every year, and it’s usually a new color theme as well. So very different, but then there isn’t a long tradition of Christmas trees here
kate, i’ll use anything for an excuse. That’s my problem – so many handmade. But son doesn’t do Christmas trees and daughter does Florida minimum,,,,, no hope of unloading there.
nightsmusic, I’ve packed mine for 4 major moves…. with very little breakage I might add. When I try to throw some out he comes by and says – oh, not that one! There’s really no hope.