French Canadian Ragout Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large pot, mix the pork, beef, onion, and water. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and chicken seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
• Drain liquid from pot into a bowl. Transfer remaining meat mixture to a separate bowl and chill until ready to use. Place bowl with liquid in the refrigerator and chill 1 hour, or until fat has congealed on the surface.
• Scrape and discard fat from the chilled liquid. Spoon the meat mixture into pie crusts. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved liquid to each pie. (This prevents them from becoming to dry.) Place top crust on top of each pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to use.

Steps:

• HOME MADE BROWNED FLOUR: Turn oven on to broil.
• In a large skillet put about 3 cups of all purpose flour.
• Place in the oven on the middle rack.
• Let the flour brown for about 5-6 minutes.
• Remove and stir well.
• Repeat, mixing every 5-6 minutes.
• Be careful not to burn.
• This may require 4-6 times.
• Brown and mix until flour is a nice light caramel colour.
• In a large pot put the pork pieces, the studded onion, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
• Cover with water about two inches above.
• Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hour.
• The meat should be well done.
• Remove the meat and let cool so you can handle it.
• Remove the skin and most of the fat, leaving the meat in chunks.
• Refrigerate.
• Meanwhile let the broth cool overnight so the fat comes to the top and congeals so it can be removed.
• FOR THE MEATBALLS: Mix all the other ingredients, (except browned flour) in a bowl.
• Mix well and form meatballs about one inch in diameter.
• Cover a baking pan with foil and cook the meatballs in a 350°F oven for approx 15 minutes.
• Refrigerate.
• The next day put the reserved pork meat in the pot and pour enough of the degreased broth to cover by about 3 inches.
• Bring to a light boil.
• Meanwhile, Mix the flour with cold water a bit at a time until you get a medium thick paste.
• Pour one large spoonful at a time in the broth and let simmer a few minutes.
• Repeat until the sauce is thickened to your taste (not too thick).
• Add the meatballs and cook another 7-10 minutes.
• Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes.
• If you want to be traditional, also serve with the tourtiere.

Steps:

• In a large pot, boil hocks and all all spices.
• Boil till all the meat is easily taken off the bones.
• Remove all meat and eliminate the fat and whatever you dont want to eat from the hocks, this should take 1 to 1 and a half hours.
• Discard bones and unwanted matter.
• Set aside.
• Stain liquid and hold till later.
• In a fry pan, brown dry flour till it starts smelling great and turns lightly beige (dont let the flour burn) Add liquid to flour stirring constantly till you get a good constistency. Your call.
• Pour everything in your large pot and cook till your potatoes are done adding more spices or water for your taste.
• If anything it makes for great glue in the morning. Joking aside its a great winters rib sticking meal. Try it its delicious. MERCI.

Steps:

• STOCK:.
• The day before serving the ragout, season pork hocks with salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
• Caramelized onions in a deep saucepan in 2 Tbsp butter (Recipe #356677). Remove from saucepan.
• In same saucepan, melt 2 tbsp fat and , then brown hocks until dark brown in colour on all sides (this is the secret to a great ragout).
• Add water, chicken bouillon cube, and onions to pork hocks. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for at least two hours, until meat falls from bones.
• At this point it's a good idea to remove pork hocks from saucepan and refrigerate the hocks and ragout overnight in fridge so that you can.
• Remove/skim the congealed fat.
• Roast flour in 350F oven until caramel brown. This takes about 1 hour. (should be dark brown but not burnt so keep an eye on it). Alternatively you may brown the flour in a hot dry pan (No oil!), stirring continuously until it's a rich, deep, brown colour. (You must be careful not to burn the flour by controlling the temperature of your pan and stirring constantly until done).
• Remove meat from bone and set aside.
• Thicken ragout by using a jar or blender to mix the roasted flour with the 1/2 cup water and pour into the ragout, stirring until well mixed and broth has thickened to a nice consistency.
• Season with salt, pepper and allspice to taste.
• Add cooked pork meatballs and pork meat and heat thoroughly.
• MEAT BALLS:.
• Mix all ingredients and pat mixture into a 1 inch thick rectangle, then cut into 1 inch squares.
• Shape each square into a 1 inch meatball.
• Bake in 400F oven for 10 minutes.
• Add to Ragoût de pattes to complete cooking.
• Ragout is sometimes served with boiled or mashed potatoes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Spread flour out in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet.
• Roast the flour in the preheated oven until medium brown in color, 10 to 15 minutes; stir often and watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove the flour from the baking sheet immediately once the desired color has been reached; set aside in a shallow bowl to cool.
• Melt butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir the spice mix into the onion. Place ground pork, parsley, egg, and bread crumbs into the bowl, and mix to combine thoroughly. Form the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs; roll each meatball in the roasted flour. Reserve unused flour.
• Pour the chicken broth into the pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, and carefully drop in the meatballs, a few at a time, stirring to keep them from sticking on the bottom. Drop in the bay leaf. Simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes; mix in the potatoes, and simmer until potatoes are tender and the broth has reduced, an additional 20 minutes. Transfer the meatballs into a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Remove and discard bay leaf. Mix remaining roasted flour with cold water in a cup, and gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering broth to thicken. Bring the gravy to a full boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Return the meatballs to the stew, and serve.