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Chicken Marengo
The story goes that Chicken Marengo was invented on the battlefield by Napoleon Bonaparte's chef, a Swiss by the name of Dunant. Marengo is the name of the battle in which Bonaparte defeated the Austrians in Italy on June 14th, 1800. It is said that Bonaparte ate nothing on battle days until all the fighting was over. On that June day when he saw his enemies retreating he requested that his chef prepare the dinner. The chef was far from his supplies and went in search for some provisions. With what he found he concocted a chicken stew. It was a big success.
Additionally, there stands another legend with a patriotic vein. The French were so thrilled by Napoleon's victory that when news of the triumph arrived in Paris, a restaurateur—who was well known for his veal ragout—proudly re-named his dish Veau Marengo. But regardless of which story appeals to you, I'm sure that one of the dishes will. The recipe is as follows:
Veau Marengo
Veal Stew with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
4 persons
Cooking time: 1 hr. 10 min.
Veal Stew with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
4 persons
Cooking time: 1 hr. 10 min.
- 2 cups water
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 lbs. veal stew meat
- 3 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 tomatoes, quartered
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 lb. white mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
(whole if small or quartered if large)
Heat the water in a small pot and add the bouillon cubes. Set aside. In a large skillet heat the oil. Brown the veal stew meat. Add the bacon and shallots. Sauté for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and mix well. Add the beef bouillon. Stir well. Add the tomato paste, thyme, white wine, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir together. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 30 minutes. Can be served with noodles or rice.
(NOTE: For chicken Marengo: instead of the veal stew meat, use one cut up whole chicken and replace the beef bouillon cubes with chicken bouillon cubes.)
Et voilà!
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