Chashushuli with Veal

Ingredients

• 1¾ lbVealtrimmed, cut into small cubes
• 8¾ ozOnionsliced into half rings or diced
• 8¾ oztomatoespeeled and finely diced; canned tomatoes work too
• 2¾ oztomato pastefor colour and depth of the sauce
• 5 clovesgarlicchopped or crushed
• 2½ ozbutterfor braising, enriches the sauce
• 2 tbspvegetable oilfor the initial frying
• 1Red bell pepperfinely diced, braised with the onion (optional)
• ⅓ cupWhite winereduced until the alcohol smell is gone (optional)
• ⅔ ozcilantrochopped, added at the end and for serving
• ⅓ ozparsleychopped, added at the end (optional)
• 2 tspKhmeli suneliGeorgian spice blend
• 1 tspCoriander
• 1 tspblue fenugreekground blue fenugreek (optional)
• Chili pepperhot red pepper, to taste
• saltto taste
• ¾ cupwaterboiling, only if the sauce gets too thick (optional)

Method

1. Trim the veal of skin and sinew, rinse it, pat it dry and cut it into even little cubes. Slice the onion into half rings or dice it, chop or crush the garlic, and peel and finely dice the tomatoes.
2. Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a heavy pot or kazan and braise the onion gently — along with the finely diced red bell pepper, if you're using it — over low heat for about 10 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
3. Add the meat and let it braise, stirring, until the juices run out and the excess liquid has cooked away again; depending on the veal this takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic, khmeli-suneli, ground coriander and, if you like, the blue fenugreek, then cover the pot and let everything sit over the lowest heat for a few minutes so the spices open up.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook along until it loses its raw edge and the sauce takes on colour. If you want, pour in the dry white wine and let it reduce until you can no longer smell the alcohol.
6. Add the diced tomatoes, cover the pot and keep braising over low heat until the meat is genuinely tender. If the sauce thickens too much along the way, pour in boiling water and bring it back to a boil briefly.
7. Season with salt, chili and more spices to taste, then fold in the chopped cilantro and, if you like, the parsley.
8. Take the pot off the heat, let the stew rest covered for a few minutes, and serve scattered with fresh herbs.

Tips and variations

Instead of braising the onions separately, you can marinate the meat, onions and tomatoes together for 30 minutes beforehand — the result tastes a touch fresher. The version without any tomato paste works just as well, made with fresh tomatoes and butter alone; in that case add boiling water at the end so there's enough sauce. Outside tomato season, canned tomatoes in their own juice are a good stand-in, and for the fat you can choose vegetable oil, butter, or a mixture of both. Season either with khmeli-suneli or with individual spices like ground coriander, blue fenugreek and chili. Serve it straight from the pot, generously showered with cilantro.