Diabetes Quick Fix: Veal Ragout

Veal slowly cooked with vegetables, herbs and red wine makes a tasty ragout or stew. The pasta cooks right in with the veal and vegetables.

Helpful Hints:

— You can use any type of short cut pasta such as macaroni or rigatoni instead of penne pasta.

— The recipe calls for a small amount of tomato paste. Freeze the rest for another time.

— You can find minced garlic in the produce section of the market.

Countdown:

— Prepare ingredients.

— Cook veal and vegetables 30 minutes.

— Add pasta and cook another 10 minutes.

Shopping List:

To buy: 3/4 pound veal stew meat, 1 can low-sodium diced tomatoes*, 1 can tomato paste, 1 small box penne pasta, 1 bottle dry red wine, 1 bottle ground coriander, 1 green bell pepper, 1 bunch celery and 1 bunch fresh thyme or bottle dried thyme.

Staples: olive oil, onion, minced garlic, fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth**, salt and black peppercorns.

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VEAL RAGOUT

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

4 teaspoons ground coriander

3/4 pound veal stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup diced or coarsely chopped onion

1 cup diced or coarsely green bell pepper

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup drained canned low-sodium, diced tomatoes*

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth**

1 cup dry red wine

4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme

3 ounces penne pasta (about 1 1/4 cups)

Place ground coriander on a plate and toss veal in the spice, covering all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in a large nonstick casserole over medium-high heat. Add veal and brown for 2 to 3 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Add onion, green bell pepper, celery, diced tomatoes and garlic. Saute 2 minutes. Mix tomato paste with chicken broth and red wine. Pour over the vegetables. Add the thyme. Bring to a simmer, lower heat to medium, cover and cook 30 minutes. Add pasta and continue to cook, uncovered 10-12 minutes until pasta is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove thyme springs, divide between 2 dinner plates and serve.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 610 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 g fat, 2.2 g saturated fat, 4.8 g monounsaturated fat, 145 mg cholesterol, 50 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, 8 g dietary fiber, 13 g sugars, 520 mg sodium, 1,990 mg potassium, 700 mg phosphorus.

Exchanges: 2 starch, 4 vegetable, 5 lean protein, 1/2 fat, 1 alcohol.

Shop Smart:

* Canned low-sodium, no-sugar-added diced tomatoes, containing per cup: 41 calories, .3 g fat, .04 g saturated fat, 24 mg sodium.

** Fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth, containing per cup: 20 calories, 0 g fat, 150 mg sodium.