French Ragout

Ragout

Ma Cusson Kitchen

Cook Time: 3 hours Source:

Ingredients

  • 3 pork hocks
  • 1 onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 cups flour
  • Meatballs:
    • 3/4 lb hamburg
    • 1/4 lb ground pork
    • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon clove

Directions

  1. Cover pork hocks with water, add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaf, salt, and pepper; simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
  2. While simmering, brown 2 cups of flour in an electric skillet at 350 degrees stirring every couple of minutes. This will take about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
  3. Set aside. When cool, sift. (you can brown the night before).
  4. Mix hamburg, ground pork, allspice, cinnamon and clove together
  5. Roll into 1 1/2 inch meatballs.
  6. Roll in the flour and put in with the pork hocks for 45 minutes (or until meatballs are done).
  7. Remove everything from the pan leaving the broth.
  8. To the remaining browned sifted flour add cold water until you can just pour the mixture.
  9. Add half to the boiling broth and return to a boil.
  10. If not thick enough add more of the browned flour and bring to a boil again.

Notes

  • Browning the flour breaks down the starch, which requires more flour to thicken a broth than usual.
  • Ma served this with boiled potatoes, but you can add potatoes to the broth similar to a stew.
  • This recipe is based on Ma's recipe and Memere Gratton's recipe (From Cora Gratton old French recipe Sept. 22, 1981)