THE GOOD FOOD OF FRANCE

FRICANDEAU WITH SORREL

This is a well-known dish from our old French cuisine. Its origins are lost in the darkness of the Middle Ages. In my youth, both in Paris and in the provinces, it became the prerogative of pastry chefs, and for many, it was the pedestal of fame and fortune.

Here is its recipe, taken from an old book: Le Cuisinier des Cuisiniers:
Choose,’ says the author, ’a fine veal roulade, dress it, spike it with small lardons, put it in a saucepan with carrots, onions, bouquet garni, cloves and scraps of bacon. Moisten it with stock, give it a nice colour by basting it from time to time with the cooking juices, and leave to cook over a low heat for three hours.
When the fricandeau is cooked through, remove it from the pan, skim off the fat, reduce the juice, put the fricandeau back in and serve with the juice and a sorrel purée.
Although this dish is now a little out of fashion, give it a try: you'll see that our ancestors had some good stuff.

ROSETTE.