A Moroccan spice blend, a pot of veal, and a French butter carrying lemon into a North African braise. This is Bordier's easiest recipe with the Lemon-Olive Oil butter and one of the most useful: cubed stewing veal browned in butter with ras el hanout and garlic, simmered gently for an hour, then served over green cabbage cooked in more of the same butter. It feeds four, and once the pot is covered the stove does the work.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Easy (Bordier rates it facile)
- Serves: 4
- Active time: About 20 minutes (our estimate, Bordier does not state one)
- Cook: 5 minutes browning, then 1 hour covered over low heat
- Key ingredient: 60 g (2 oz) Bordier Lemon-Olive Oil Butter
Why this works
Ras el hanout is a warm blend, heavy on cumin, coriander, cinnamon and ginger, and it can sit heavily on a braise. Veal is mild enough not to fight it, but mild enough to be swamped by it. What keeps the dish balanced is the lemon. Bordier introduced the Lemon-Olive Oil butter in 2009, made for a chef, blending lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil into the churn. The citrus is already dispersed through the fat, so it seasons every cube of meat it touches rather than sitting on top the way a squeeze of juice would.
The technique matters too. Browning the meat in butter rather than oil gives you milk solids in the pot, and those solids catch and fond up on the bottom, which is where the depth in this stew comes from. Adding liquid only to the halfway point of the meat, rather than covering it, keeps the braise concentrated. The remaining 35 g of butter goes to the cabbage separately, so the vegetable is seasoned as deliberately as the meat.
Ingredients
Buy stewing veal, shoulder or breast, already cut or in one piece to cube yourself. Do not use loin, it will go dry.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Stewing veal | 1 kg | 2¼ lbs |
| Bordier Lemon-Olive Oil Butter | 60 g | 2 oz |
| Garlic | 1 clove | 1 clove |
| Organic lemon | 1 | 1 |
| Green cabbage | 400 to 500 g | 1 to 1¼ lbs |
| Moroccan spice mixture, such as ras el hanout | 3 tsp | 3 tsp (1 tbsp) |
| Vegetable stock | 2 glasses | 2 glasses |
| Crushed pistachios and sliced almonds | As needed | As needed |
| Salt and pepper | To taste | To taste |
Method
Step 1: Brown the veal and braise it
Slice the cabbage and cut the veal into cubes. Heat 25 g (5 tsp) of the Bordier butter in a pot, then add the garlic, the spices and the meat. Brown for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the stock, and top up with water until the liquid reaches about halfway up the meat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour over low heat.
Step 2: Cook the cabbage and finish the plates
Melt the remaining 35 g (1¼ oz) of butter and add the cabbage. Stir it regularly as it cooks down. Grate a little lemon zest over the cabbage, then scatter crushed pistachios and sliced almonds over each plate.
Tips from our kitchen
- The cabbage timing on Bordier's page is a typo. The original reads "stir regularly for around 115 minutes," which is longer than the veal braise and would reduce the cabbage to mush. Sliced green cabbage in butter is done in about 15 minutes, which is almost certainly what was meant. Cook it until it collapses and turns glossy but still has bite. That timing is our guidance, not Bordier's.
- Brown in batches or not at all. A kilogram of veal will not brown in five minutes if it is crowded, it will steam. Either use a wide pot and work in two batches, or accept a lighter color and lean on the spices for depth. Crowded meat in a small pot gives you the worst of both.
- Bloom the spices in the butter first. Ras el hanout gives up far more aroma when it hits warm fat than when it hits liquid. Bordier adds the garlic, spices and meat together, which works, but if you give the spices thirty seconds in the butter before the veal goes in, the whole pot smells different.
- Halfway up, not covered. The instruction to add liquid to about half the height of the meat is deliberate. Fully submerged veal poaches rather than braises and the sauce ends up thin. If the pot runs dry before the hour is up, add hot water a splash at a time.
- Zest the lemon, do not juice it. The recipe uses the zest of an organic lemon because the butter already brings the acidity. Adding juice on top will make the cabbage taste sharp rather than fragrant.
- Toast the nuts. Raw pistachios and sliced almonds go soft against a wet braise. Five minutes in a dry pan until they smell nutty, then scatter them on at the very last moment so they stay crisp.
How to serve it
Serve it in shallow bowls with the cabbage underneath and the veal and its sauce spooned over, nuts on top. Couscous or plain rice will soak up the braising liquid, though bread and a green salad are enough. If you want to keep the North African thread going through the meal, the spice blends in our Terre Exotique guide cover ras el hanout and the peppers that pair with it.
Where to buy Bordier Lemon-Olive Oil Butter in the US
The French Pantry ships Bordier butter across the United States in insulated overnight packaging, straight from the workshop in Brittany.
- Churned Lemon-Olive Oil Butter by Bordier (4.4 oz): butter churned with lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil, created in 2009 at a chef's request.
For the rest of the hand-churned range, browse the Maison Bordier collection.
Frequently asked questions
How much Bordier butter do I need for this recipe?
One block. Bordier blocks are 4.4 oz (125 g) and the recipe uses 60 g (2 oz), so a single block leaves you more than half for another dish. Doubling the stew to serve eight would need two blocks.
Can I use a different Bordier butter?
Espelette Pepper butter is the natural alternative and pushes the spice further. Salted butter works if you add lemon zest to the pot as well as the cabbage. Unsalted butter will leave the braise tasting flat unless you season harder.
Can I use lamb or beef instead of veal?
Lamb shoulder is the closest in spirit to a spiced braise and will take the same hour. Beef chuck needs longer, closer to two hours, and more liquid. Neither is Bordier's recipe, but the method holds.
How should I store the butter?
Refrigerate it, wrapped, and use it by the date on the pack. Tightly wrapped, it freezes for up to three months, though the texture is best fresh.
Does Bordier butter need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Bordier butter is a fresh, hand-churned product and ships cold. Put it in the refrigerator as soon as it arrives.
Can I make it a day ahead?
The veal improves overnight. Cook the stew, cool it, and refrigerate. Reheat gently the next day and cook the cabbage fresh, since it does not hold well.
Related reading
- Bordier Butter: What It Is, Why Chefs Love It, and How to Use It
- Terre Exotique
- How to Choose Your French Butter: A Buyer's Guide
Recipe and photograph adapted from Maison Bordier, with thanks. The French Pantry is an authorized US retailer of Bordier butter.