Tag: Italian beef stew

Italian Beef Stew, My Ode to the First Snow

 

We are well into Fall, but it seems that Winter is charging in at warp speed. It has been snowing here the last few days and the first snow and the accompanying colder temperatures always makes me want to hunker down. Thoughts in the kitchen turn to Comfort Food. Those dishes that create warm smells as they cook for an extended time. They are perfect for curling up at home, enjoying said smells and the delicious results that will eventually come to the table. Soups and casseroles and of course the big pot of tomato sauce come to mind, but today it is all about stew.

I think stew is an under appreciated comfort food. It takes a lot of time and usually makes enough to feed an army. It is my belief that it is the perfect dish to make on a cold afternoon. As far as the huge pot of goodness that results goes, the upside is that it usually tastes better the second time around and it freezes very well for one of those nights when you just don’t feel like cooking. It is the dish that keeps on giving.

What makes this stew Italian? A glance at the recipe ingredients should make it perfectly clear. The garlic and herbs are a dead giveaway. Even the wine is Italian.

The amount of vegetables (onions, carrots, and garlic) may seem daunting at first glance of the recipe. They are labeled “divided” as you will be using them two ways. Some will be chopped to create a mirepoix that will flavor the stock and meat during the initial cooking. The rest will be cut into larger chunks to become the vegetable component of the stew.

A word about the seasonings: The quantities listed create a stew that makes all of them identifiable. So, if you don’t like hot spice or the flavor of fennel, feel free to adjust the quantities to your taste. Lemon peel and juice add a touch of acidity as does the wine. If you don’t have Sangiovese , another dry red wine will work. Just make sure it is a wine that you would drink on its own. Bacon will work instead of pancetta, but go easy on it so the smokiness doesn’t overpower the other flavors. As I always say, this recipe is a guideline, make it your own.

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Italian Beef Stew

Rich and hearty, the perfect weekend dinner. The long ingredient list and cooking steps are worth it.

Course: Main Course
Servings: 6
Ingredients
  • 3 Pounds Beef Chuck Trimmed of extra fat
  • Salt & Pepper To taste
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 3 Ounces Pancetta Roughly chopped
  • 3 Medium Yellow Onions Divided
  • 2 Cups Baby Carrots (about a 1#bag) Divided
  • 10-12 Cloves Garlic Divided
  • 3 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary Chopped
  • 1-1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes Or to taste
  • 1-1/2 Tsp, Fennel Seeds (lightly crushed) Or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
  • 1 Cup Sangiovese Wine More to taste
  • 2 Strips Lemon Zest 1" X 2"
  • 1-2 Bay Leaves
  • 4 Cups Beef Stock
  • 10 Ounces Cremini Mushrooms
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice To taste
  • 1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives Pitted and halved
  • 1/3 Cup Parsley Chopped
Instructions

  1. Adjust the oven rack so that a 5-6 quart covered Dutch Oven will fit in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Begin to heat the Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat.

  2. Cut the meat into chunks about 1-1/2 - 2 inches. Dry it off with paper towels. This helps it brown better. Set aside.

  3. When the Dutch oven is hot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil coating the bottom of the pan. Add the pancetta and cook until it has rendered some fat and is just beginning to brown. Remove the pancetta leaving the drippings

  4. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in batches. Place chunks in a bowl as they are browned. Add olive oil if the pot seems dry.

  5. Chop one onion, 1/2 cup carrots and 4 cloves of garlic in 1/2 inch dice. Add to the pot and cook until slightly soft and fragrant. Add the rosemary, fennel, and pepper flakes cooking for several minutes until they become fragrant

  6. Add the tomato paste and cook stirring for 3 minutes or so. Pour the wine into the pot and scrape up any brown bits that have accumulated. Cook about 4 minutes.

  7. Stir in the beef stock and add the beef (and accumulated juices) and pancetta back to the pot. Drop in the lemon zest and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and place into the oven. Cook covered 1 hour.

  8. While the meat cooks, Slice 2 onions vertically into 3/4 inch wedges. Cut the remaining carrots in half. Slice the garlic into 1/4 inch strips.

  9. After an hour pull out the pot and add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Mix everything together, cover and return to the oven for about 30 minutes.

  10. Cut the mushrooms in half (quarter if large) and gently stir them into the pot after the 30 minute cooking. Cover and return to the oven.

  11. Continue to cook 30 minutes or so. Check the meat occasionally. It should be tender but not falling apart and the vegetables should be tender. When it is done to your liking, add the olives and the lemon juice, stirring to incorporate. Check for seasoning and make any adjustments.

  12. Serve in bowls with crusty bread or spoon over polenta, faro, or rice. Sprinkle with parsley.

Here’s to snowfall, the holidays, and the food that makes it all special in the Kitchen of Love

Memories of Julia…Italian Beef Stew

Beef Stew, a quintessential Winter dish, has as many variations as there are cooks. It is a comfort food that can be simple and satisfying or elegant and complex. The process is time-consuming, but the results are worth it.

I have so many memories of my mother’s cooking, but there isn’t a single one of stew. Chicken Cacciatore came closest, but that’s technically braising. My first adventure or memory for that matter, of stew was making Beef Bourguignon after watching Julia Child. I’ve made this recipe for years, but I wanted something different, so I went about putting an Italian spin on things.

Could I be breaking new ground here? Of course not. Stew goes back to ancient times, including the Romans. I did find a traditional recipe for “Peposo” a dish from Florence featuring chunks of beef, lots of black pepper, and red wine. It was invented back in the 14th century by tile makers who put these ingredients into terra-cotta pots and cooked it by the heat of the furnace. My beef stew incorporates Peposo’s ingredients and oh, so much more.DIGITAL CAMERAMy wine of choice was Sangiovese, considered by many to be the King of Italian wine grapes. It’s the principle wine in Chianti. Usually fruity but with noticeable acidity and tannins, It can hold its own in this stew as well as on the table.DIGITAL CAMERA

The beef was Chuck Eye Roast. This is lean and tender as chuck cuts go. The muscles are fairly large and can be cut up without too much difficulty. Read that as those pesky membranes are few and loose enough to be dispatched quickly. Cutting the meat yourself will save you money  and allow you to cut the pieces the size you want. I like to eat my stew with a spoon and/or fork so I opted for one and a half-inch pieces.DIGITAL CAMERA

I used bacon because I like the smokieness of it, but pancetta would work well and probably be more Italian. The bacon provided the fat to brown the meat, done in batches so that they would brown instead of steam.DIGITAL CAMERA

DIGITAL CAMERAThen came the Sofritto. My understanding of Soffrito is that while traditionally it’s the same flavor base as its French cousin, Mirepoix, it can be any combination of aromatics, and since I’m not a fan of celery, I chose to use onions, garlic, and carrots. I chopped up a good size sprig of fresh rosemary, added some fennel seeds and red pepper flakes and rounded out the aromatics with bay leaf and lemon zest.DIGITAL CAMERA

All of this went into the dutch oven now beautifully coated with brown bits. A little tomato paste and more than a little wine to de-glaze the pan and I was well on my way to creating stewing magic.DIGITAL CAMERAThe beef goes back in  along with some beef stock, water and a little more wine if you dare. Bring it up to a simmer, cover it  and pop it in a low oven (325 degrees.) In order to get the meat tender and not over cook the vegetables, let the beef cook for about an hour.DIGITAL CAMERA

When the time was right, I added the vegetables that take the longest to cook. In this case, it was yellow onions, carrots and lots of sliced garlic. I opted to add the cremini mushrooms a little bit later since they cook more quickly.DIGITAL CAMERA

The stew cooked for about two and a half hours. When it came out of the oven, the meat was tender, the vegetables were cooked, but still identifiable, and the sauce was slightly thickened and smelled like heaven. (there are worse things you could  imagine heaven smelling like).

It was now time to guild the lily. I added some sliced Kalamata olives, parsley, and fresh lemon juice. The olives added an interesting taste and texture. The acidity of the lemon juice did wonders for refining the richness of the sauce, and the parsley was pretty. DIGITAL CAMERA

It’s always nice to have some kind of starch to serve with the stew. The sauce is wonderful and it would be a shame to leave it in the bottom of the bowl. I decided to use Farro.

DIGITAL CAMERAThis Italian super grain has a slightly chewy texture and a nutty barley like taste. It cooked quickly and stood up perfectly to the hearty richness of the stew. DIGITAL CAMERA Rosemary, lemon

Some shavings of Pecorino Romano and a dusting of parsley and it was ready to serve. It was wonderful the first time, but the second day it was amazing.

Italian Beef Stew
Print Recipe
An Italian-ized version of classic Beef Stew. Make it your own with wine, vegetable, and aromatics choices.
Servings
8
Servings
8
Italian Beef Stew
Print Recipe
An Italian-ized version of classic Beef Stew. Make it your own with wine, vegetable, and aromatics choices.
Servings
8
Servings
8
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Before you begin cooking, put your cooking vessel in the oven. Adjust the rack so that the covered pot will fit and slide in and out easily. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Heat a 5 -6 quart dutch oven. Add the bacon pieces and cook until the bacon is brown, but not crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Leave the drippings in the pan and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
  3. Cut the meat in 1-1/2 inch to 2 inch pieces. Dry on paper towels for at least 10 minutes (this helps the meat brown). Season the meat with salt and pepper just before browning.
  4. Brown the meat in batches turning to brown all sides. Put the browned meat into a bowl. If the pot is becoming dry, add additional olive oil. Set the bowl of browned meat aside.
  5. Add the chopped onions, garlic, and carrots to the pot and begin to cook over medium low heat. Add the bay leaf, rosemary, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and tomato paste. Cook, stirring often for 3 or 4 minutes. Return the bacon to the pot.
  6. Add the cup of red wine and stir to loosen the browned bits and de-glaze the pan. Continue to cook for a few minutes until things are smelling beautiful. Add the beef stock and water, (and a little more wine if you want). Bring the mixture to a boil.
  7. Add the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Cook until the mixture returns to a simmer. Once it is gently simmering, cover it and place in the oven. Cook covered for one hour.
  8. Remove the pot from the oven and add the onion wedges and sliced garlic. Mix gently, cover and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
  9. Remove the pan from the oven and add the mushrooms. Stir to gently combine. Cover and return to the oven.
  10. Check the meat after 45 minutes or so. The meat should be fork tender, but not falling apart. When the meat is perfect, remove the pot from the oven.
  11. Add the lemon juice and olives. Stir to incorporate. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl or ladle into individual dishes. Sprinkle with the parsley.
  12. This can be served as is with crusty bread or on top of your starch of choice; pasta, polenta, farro, etc.
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This was worth the time it took to prepare. I’m afraid Julia’s Beouf  will have to move over, Mama D’s Manzo is joining the club.