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Veau aux olives
Veal stew with green olives
Veau aux olives: Corsica's veal stew with green olives and tomato
In the villages of Corsica's mountainous interior, veau aux olives is the dish of Sunday lunch and of family gatherings on saints' days, made with the island's free-roaming veal. The meat is browned, then stewed slowly with tomato, garlic, rosemary and plenty of green olives, giving a rich, savoury sauce with a pleasant salty-bitter edge from the olives. Corsicans often add a little panzetta (cured pork belly), which is optional here; with it, the dish contains pork. White wine is used too, and the ingredient note gives an alcohol-free version. Serve with soft polenta, ideally the island's chestnut-flour pulenda, or with fresh pasta. Chef's tip: blanch the olives for two minutes before adding them, so their brine doesn't oversalt the sauce.
- Total time
- 145 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb veal shouldercut into 4 cm chunks
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 ½ oz pancetta or Corsican panzetta (optional)diced
- 2 onionschopped
- 4 garlic clovessliced
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- ¾ cup dry white wineor alcohol-free: 200 ml chicken stock plus 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 14 oz chopped tomatoestinned
- 1 ¼ cups chicken or veal stock
- 7 oz green olivespitted
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Pat 2 ⅝ lb veal shoulder dry and season with ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp salt.
Step 2: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the veal in three batches for 6–8 minutes each, until golden on all sides, adding more of the oil as needed. Don't crowd the pan: that is the usual reason the meat stews grey instead of browning.
22 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium, add the rest of 2 tbsp olive oil (and the panzetta if using) and cook 2 onions for 8 minutes, until soft and golden. Add 4 garlic cloves and 1 tbsp tomato purée and stir for 1 minute.
9 minStep 4: Pour in ¾ cup dry white wine and let it bubble for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits.
3 minStep 5: Return the veal to the pot with 14 oz chopped tomatoes, 1 ¼ cups chicken or veal stock, 1 rosemary sprig and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 hour.
60 minStep 6: Meanwhile, blanch 7 oz green olives in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain.
3 minStep 7: Add the olives to the pot and simmer, partly covered, for 30–45 minutes more, until the veal is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
40 minStep 8: Remove the rosemary and bay, taste for seasoning and serve with parsley.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does veau aux olives take?
- About 145 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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