Braising - Ragoûts

Braising is cooking ‘by exchange’ par excellence. First sealed all over in fat (except in the case of fish) the browned food, together with a mirepoix of vegetables, is moistened to half its depth with a well-flavoured liquid (light stock, wine, or concentrated veal stock).

A heavy cast-iron casserole (or even better, a braising pan) is hermetically sealed to help the cooking, which should be long, slow, and even, gradually tenderising the fibres in the food and, with the help of the juices which run out, adding an extra succulence to the cooking liquid which becomes a rich and aromatic - sauce.