Spezzatino – Italian Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 small white onion
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 celery stalk
- 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound beef chuck (or any other stew meat), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 spring rosemary
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, partially crushed
- Salt, to taste
- 2 medium potatoes, around 10 oz total
Instructions
- Prepare onion, carrot and celery for the soffritto. Clean the vegetables and chop them finely.
- Add the vegetables into a heavy bottom deep skillet along with the extra virgin olive oil. Turn on the heat to medium and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions start to turn translucent.
- In the meantime, pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel and coat them with the flour.
- When the vegetables are ready, add the meat to the pan. Stir for a couple of minutes to sear the beef on all sides.
- Deglaze with wine.
- When the wine is completely absorbed, cover the meat with stock and add the rest of the ingredients except the potatoes.
- Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low. Then, let simmer for two hours stirring occasionally. If the stew becomes too dry, add a ladleful of water.
- After two hours, cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and add them to the stew. Cook for another 40 minutes, stirring as little as possible.
- The stew is ready when the meat becomes very tender and you can almost tear it apart with a fork. At this point, the sauce should be quite thick. Turn off the heat and serve with polenta or with some good bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 684kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 53gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 689mgPotassium: 1977mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 4239IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 7mg
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