Chakapuli (Georgian Veal & Tarragon Stew)

By ltrodrigu

Though one cup of tarragon may seem like a lot, the flavor mellows considerably in cooking. Add more to taste. You can order the Georgian sour plum sauce called tkemali at churchxelebi.com.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds veal stew meat or boneless shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 3 cups chopped scallions (from 2 large bunches)
• 1 cup tarragon leaves
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup mixed chopped herbs (any combination of parsley, dill, cilantro, mint and sorrel)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound small waxy potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1/4 cup green tkemali (Georgian sour plum sauce), optional

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season stew meat with salt. Add meat, along with scallions, tarragon, wine and water to a lidded 5-quart Dutch oven. Cover and cook until tender for 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in remaining herbs, garlic and potatoes. Cover, return pot to oven and cook until herbs have softened and garlic has mellowed, 30 minutes more.

Remove stew from oven and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in tkemali, if using.