Veal with potatoes, zucchini and green beans in tomato sauce is a very tasty dish and I am sure that will become one of your firm favorites. You can use fresh green beans or even frozen ones. As far as the meat is concerned, you can use either veal or lamb. The end result is just as tasty.
Ingredients 1 ½ kilos veal or lamb (without the bone) 1 kilo green beans 3 – 4 potatoes 3 – medium zucchini 3 – 4 large ripe tomatoes (or canned tomatoes) 1 – 2 medium onions 2 cloves garlic 3 tablespoonfuls parsley 3 tablespoonfuls mint 1 ½ cups olive oil Salt, pepper
Directions
Wash and dry the meat, and if you wish you can cut it up in pieces. This way it will cook faster. Chop up the onions roughly. Put the oil in a pot and add the meat and the onions. Sauté them lightly, for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then so the onions don’t burn, and the meat is lighting browned on all sides. Add about 1 ½ cups of water, cover the pot, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until it is a little more than half done. Check also to see that there is enough water in your pot. You don’t need too much water, because the beans and the tomatoes will release more water. Also note that the lamb cooks is less time so check the meat now and then with a fork.
If you have bought fresh green beans, you have to wash them and pull off the threads from the sides of the pods. There are some green beans that don’t have these threads. If in doubt, speak to your greengrocer. To make your life easier, you can use frozen green beans.
Peel the potatoes and cut them in large pieces. Keep them in a plastic bowl with cold water. Chop off the ends of the zucchini and cut them in large pieces. Chop the garlic, the parsley and the mint. If you are using fresh tomatoes, you can either chop them up roughly, or you can grate them.
When the meat is half done, add the potatoes, zucchini, beans, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer until the meat and the potatoes are done. Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the parsley and the mint. Taste and adjust seasonings. You should have a nice, tomato sauce on the thick side with a little oil, without any visible water.
The best friends of this dish are feta cheese and nice brown bread!