This casserole was our family’s favourite in France and when I cannot get white veal in New Zealand, I prepare it with pork or lamb. Often axoa will be prepared from coarsely minced veal, making a bolognaise-like casserole. Either way, mashed potatoes are a great partner.
Ingredients
| 1 ½ kgs | Veal, shoulder is best as you need some fat to carry the flavour (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Flaky sea salt, less if finely milled |
| ½ tsp | Ground pepper, use up to 1 tsp, white or black |
| 1 tsp | Piment d'espelette, or use paprika and a good pinch of chilli powder |
| ¼ cup | Olive oil, use up to 1/3 cup |
| 1 large | Onion, peeled and finely chopped |
| 1 | Red capsicum, use 2 if desired, diced; deep, ripe red ones are best |
| 8 | Green chillies, use up to 10, deseeded and sliced |
| 4 large | Garlic cloves, use up to 6, peeled and sliced |
| 1 ½ cups | Veal, or use chicken stock, water and stock cubes are fine (Main) |
Directions
- Heat the oven to 160C.
- Cut the meat in chunky-sized pieces and, with your hands, massage the salt, pepper and piment d'espelette into the meat – a dash of oil will help the process.
- Heat half the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion, capsicum, chilli and garlic over a moderate heat until the vegetables have wilted. Transfer to a casserole.
- Brown the veal in the remaining oil until just golden brown. This will be best done in batches to ensure the meat browns to a caramel colour which will add great flavour to the dish.
- Pour the stock into the pan, stirring over a low heat to lift any sediment from the pan. Add to the casserole and cover.
- Cook in the preheated oven for about 1 ½ hours or until the meat is tender. Stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Make it