Fat-Free Veal Sauté Provençal
It’s a lovely, sunny Sunday afternoon and we’ve just gotten back from a marathon trip to Ikea. Being the last day of half-term school holidays and a Sunday to boot, the crowds and crying children made us appreciate the relative peace and quiet of home. But hunger is lurking after this trek and a long dog walk this morning, so my trusty Thermomix needs to come up with something easy and filling. This Fat-Free Veal Sauté Provençal is just the thing!
I had a beautiful piece of stewing veal in the fridge and some vaguely Mediterranean vegetables so I decided to make a Provençal-themed dish. Thermomix’s constant gentle stirring makes it so easy to sauté ingredients without adding any oil or butter at all, it was perfect for my diet. I have been using my Thermomix to make stews and sautés quite a lot lately, and it really comes into its own, regardless of what ingredients you use. I had a rummage through the veg drawers and came up with leeks but otherwise would have used onions; I had lovely pointed sweet red peppers but regular red capsicum would have been perfect, too. I chucked in the somewhat wilted feet of some chestnut mushrooms and some wrinkly carrots that had seen better days and Thermomix showed once again how it helps reduce waste. About one quarter of a lovely courgette went into the stew in chunks while the rest got steamed in thick slices. A handful of herbs from the windowsill and some big, fat, juicy cloves of garlic added flavour, as did a tin of tomatoes. So that was how this dish came about. An hour on reverse at 100 degrees plus 10 minutes on Varoma to steam the veg, and we sat down to a tender, tasty stew that was all good for us. Genius!
For those of you who prefer to follow a recipe, here you go. Feel free to substitute whatever meat or veg you have in the fridge and create your own taste extravaganza!
Madame Thermomix’s Fat-Free Veal Sauté Provençal
The gentle stirring of Thermomix allows for fat-free sautéing and stewing, preserving all the tastes of your ingredients. Add some potatoes and you’ve got a fat-free all-in-one Varoma meal. Serves 4.
Ingredients
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and quartered
¼ red chilli, seeds removed if you wish
1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 5 cm/2-inch chunks
2 mushrooms
¼ of a courgette, cut into chunks
500 g veal for stewing (or use lamb or beef)
1 tsp. salt or to taste
several turns of fresh black pepper
½ tsp. dried rosemary, or herbes de provence, or dried thyme or a mixture
1 x 400 g tin of tomatoes
½ tin water
to steam
2 sweet pointed red peppers
remaining ¾ of your courgette
4 large mushrooms
4 to 6 medium potatoes; peeled and cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch chunks (optional)
Method
- Peel your garlic, 4 seconds/Speed 4 ½ /Reverse Blade Direction. Remove skins and cancel reverse blade. Add onions, chilli, carrots, courgette and mushrooms. Chop 2 seconds/Speed 5. Scrape sides of TM bowl with spatula.
- Sauté 5 minutes/100° C/Speed 1. During this time, if required, remove all visible fat from your meat and cut into 2.5 cm/1-inch chunks.
- Add meat, salt and pepper, herbs and the tin of tomatoes to the TM bowl. Gently rinse the tomato juice from the sides of the empty tin and continue filling it half way with water; add this juice and water mixture to bowl. Cook 60 minutes/100° C/Speed 1/Reverse Blade Direction. During this time, prepare your veg for steaming. I cut my courgette into thick slices, quartered the mushrooms and cut the red peppers into large chunks. Arrange them on the top tray of the Varoma, making sure to leave some holes visible for the steam to flow through. If you want to bulk out your meal with some carbs, peel and cut up your potatoes and arrange them in the Varoma dish, also leaving some holes for the steam. (Depending on how fast you are at prepping your veg you may want to keep your potatoes from going brown by putting them in a bowl of water until you’re ready to steam them.)
- At the end of the hour, remove the lid of your Thermomix and check to see if your meat is tender and that there is enough liquid in your sauce to create some steam for your vegetables. Add a bit of water if you think you need it but remember that you’ll want a lovely thick sauce to eat. Replace the TM lid, place the Varoma on top and steam 10 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed 1/Reverse Blade Direction. Check that your veg are steamed through (especially the potatoes if using); just leave the Varoma closed on top of the Thermomix to gently finish cooking if they need a few more minutes while you get your table ready and call everyone to eat. Then serve up and enjoy your fat-free all-in-one Varoma meal!
Bon appétit !
