Spezzatino di Vitello a Risi Piselli

Italian veal stew!

     There are so many different regional Italian spezzatino recipes.  This spezzatino recipe is my favorite.  The flavor of this veal stew is very nice!  Rici Piselli is a good accompaniment for this stew.
    
     Spezzatino di Vitello:
     This recipe makes 1 large portion of stew!
     Cut some veal leg or shoulder meat into large bite size stewing pieces.  (About 8 ounces is needed for this recipe.)
     Dredge the veal in flour.
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil.
     Add the floured veal pieces.
     Saute till golden brown highlights appear on the veal.
     Add 1 thin sliced small shallot.
     Add 2 chopped garlic cloves.
     Add 2 or 3 small portabella field mushrooms that are cut into quarter wedges.
     Add 1/3 cup of thick carrot slices.
     Saute till the veal becomes lightly browned all over and till the vegetables start to become fragrant.
     Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine.
     Add 2 ounces of imported Italian canned crushed plum tomato.    
     Add 5 or 6 black olives that are cut in half.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of capers.
     Add enough rich veal broth to cover the ingredients.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 2 sliced fresh sage leaves.
     Add 1 bay leaf.
     Add 1 tablespoon of chopped Italian parsley.
     Bring the stew to a gentle boil, while stirring, till the sauce becomes thick.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat. 
     Simmer the stew over low heat, till the veal becomes very tender and the stew sauce becomes a medium thin sauce consistency.  (about 30 to 45 minutes)
     If the stew becomes too thick, add water or more veal stock.

     Rici Piselli: 
     This recipe makes just a little more risi piselli than what is needed to present the spezzatino!
     I chose brown rice, because it has a nice natural nutty flavor.  Brown rice requires more water than white rice.  Long grain white rice can be used for this recipe too.  If you choose white rice, use a proportion of 1 cup of long grain white rice to 2 cups of water.
     Boil 2 1/4 cups of water in a sauce pot over high heat.
     Add 1 cup of brown rice.
     When the liquid returns to a boil, reduce the temperature to low heat. 
     Cover the pot with a lid.
     Simmer and steam the rice for 20 minutes.
     When the rice becomes tender, add sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 3/4 cup of thawed frozen peas.
     Stir the peas and rice together.
     Keep the peas and rice warm for 4 minutes over very low heat, so the peas become hot.
    
     Spezzatino di Vitello a Risi Piselli: 
     Spoon the rici piselli onto a plate.
     Use a spoon to form a ring of peas and rice around the border of the plate.
     Spoon the spezzatino di vitello inside of the ring of peas and rice on the plate.
     Garnish with an Italian parsley sprig.
    
     The flavor of this spezzatino is delicious and comfortable!  The wine, sage, capers, shallots and garlic combine to give this recipe a very classic flavor.  It does not take much time for the veal to be stewed tender, so this is a very quick stew recipe to make.  Yummy!  Ciao Baby!  ...  Shawna