Blanquette de Veau Tunisienne (Tunisian Veal in White Sauce)

This is a Tunisian version of a classic French-insipred dish. Classically a blanquette is a ragoût with a white sauce which is given a Tunisian twist with the addition of ground cumin and ground caraway seeds.

Ingredients:

900g veal, thinly sliced and cut into 7.5cm squares

120ml olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tbsp plain flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

2 egg yolks

4 tbsp lemon juice

salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat 60ml of the olive oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole and use to braise the veal. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon then use the remaining oil to fry the onion until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining olive oil to a small pan, scatter the flour over the top and lightly fry then season with salt, black pepper, caraway seeds and cumin seeds. Blend with the fried onions in the larger pan then return the veal to the pan and blend in 400ml hot water (or stock). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes over low heat, or until the meat is tender. If necessary, add a few more tablespoons of water to prevent sticking.

Just before serving, remove the meat and set aside to keep warm. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl then whisk in the lemon juice. Stir a little of the gravy from the pan into the egg mix to temper then stir the egg mix back into the remaining gravy.

Arrange the meat on a serving plate, spread a little of the gravy over the top then pour the remainder into a gravy boat to serve as a sauce.