Stracotto Recipes

Steps:

• Place the meat in a fairly snug-fitting casserole pan on a medium-low heat with 2 tablespoons of oil, turning with tongs, while you peel the onions, carrots and garlic, trim the celery and fennel, then roughly chop it all to make a soffritto--it cooks low and slow so there's no need to be too precise. Stir into the pan, tie the rosemary and sage together and add, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until starting to caramelize, stirring the veg and turning the meat occasionally.
• Turn the heat up to high, pour in the wine, stir in the tomato puree, and let the wine cook away. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then place a double layer of scrunched-up wet parchment paper on the surface. Reduce to a low heat and cook for around 3 hours, or until the meat is meltingly tender, turning and basting occasionally. Season to perfection.
• Lift the meat out on to a board, carve it into thin slices, and spoon over enough of that incredible sauce to keep the meat nice and juicy. Toss the rest of the sauce (reduce on the stove, if needed) with freshly cooked tagliatelle, and finely grate over a little Parmesan, to serve. Double win.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a heavy 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 3 hours, turning the beef over halfway through and adding more beef broth, as needed.
• Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Using an immersion blender, blend the pan juices and vegetables until smooth. Add the rosemary and thyme. Bring to sauce to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cut the beef into 1-inch pieces and place on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Steps:

• In a stew pot, heat up the extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beef, onions and garlic. Sear for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add all of the wine. It should be enough to cover the beef. Season with salt and whole peppercorns.
• Bring the wine to a boil. Lower the heat and allow it to gently simmer for approximately 2 hours.

Steps:

• Cut the garlic into thin slivers. Pierce the meat in many places with the point of a knife and insert the garlic slivers into the holes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy 3- to 4-quart heatproof casserole. Add the meat and brown it well over medium heat. Remove it from the casserole. Add the remaining oil and the onions, carrots and celery. Saute them until moderately brown.
• Stir in the wine and cook for a few minutes, scraping the casserole. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and basil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and return the meat to the casserole.
• Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for at least three hours, until the meat is very tender. Turn the meat a few times during cooking.
• Remove the meat from the casserole. To serve immediately, skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, then puree the sauce in a food processor and reheat. Otherwise, refrigerate the meat and sauce overnight. Remove any congealed fat from the sauce and puree the sauce in a food processor. Reheat the meat in the sauce before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Toss the lamb with the rosemary, garlic, oil, and the vinegar and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• While the lamb is marinating, blanch the potatoes and carrots. In well-salted boiling water cook the potatoes for 5 or 6 minutes then transfer with a skimmer to a platter or sheet tray. Cook the carrots for 2 or 3 minutes and reserve with the potatoes.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat until the oil begins to smoke. While the oil is heating, remove the lamb from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the lamb with the flour and toss to coat. Shake excess flour from the meat and add half to the pan in a single layer so as to sear the meat on all sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining lamb.
• Carefully place the potatoes and carrots in the pan used for the lamb. (The olive oil will have lots of flavor from the lamb.) Season with salt and pepper and saute until lightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Stir from time to time and regulate the heat so the vegetables do not caramelize too much on one side. Transfer to a platter or large plate so that they can be spread out in a single layer.
• Pour off and discard the residual oil in the pan. With the pan still on medium heat, deglaze with the wine and reduce by half then add the stock. Bring to a simmer and reduce again by half. Add the seared lamb to the pan and gently toss to incorporate with the pan sauce. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
• In a Dutch oven or large, deep baking dish, add the lamb, wine and broth mixture and rosemary. Cover then place in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, carrots and spring onions to the stew. Mix carefully to incorporate. Add a little stock or water, if necessary, to keep the stew moistened. Continue to cook in the oven, covered, until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes.
• Stir in the parsley and lemon zest. Taste and add salt and fresh ground pepper if needed. Serve directly from the baking dish.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy 6-quart roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total cooking time. Transfer the beef to a bowl. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, add the onions and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the wine and boil 1 minute. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise until the beef is fork-tender, turning the beef over halfway through cooking, about 3 hours.
• Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent the beef with foil and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Combine the sauce and rosemary sprig in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on a platter and garnish with rosemary. Spoon the sauce over and serve, passing the remaining sauce in a sauce boat.

Steps:

• To season the veal, place the breast in a nonreactive baking dish and season it all over with the salt and pepper, using approximately 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat. If your butcher did not roll and tie the veal breast, roll it tightly lengthwise into a long log shape and tie it with kitchen twine in five or six places along the roll. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, if you are making the stock, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Place the veal bones on a baking sheet and roast them, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking, until they're evenly browned, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the bones to a large stockpot. Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the top. Add the leek, onion, and carrot, reduce the heat, and simmer the stock for 1 hour, skimming as needed. Remove the stock from the heat, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer, and discard the contents of the strainer. Use the stock, or set aside to cool to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
• To braise the veal, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cut the veal in half, if necessary, for it to fit in the pan. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or large, high-sided sauté pan until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the veal in the pan to sear to deep brown on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the veal to a plate.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the prosciutto, and cook, stirring constantly, to render the fat but not to brown the prosciutto, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, and warm the oil for a minute or two before adding the celery, carrot, and onion. Season the vegetables with the pepper, and sauté until the vegetables are softened and slightly caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning. Move the vegetables to create a bare spot in the pan, add the tomato paste to that spot, and cook for 1 minute more, stirring, to caramelize the tomato paste slightly. Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and boil until it reduces by about half, about 5 minutes. Return the veal and any juices that have collected on the plate it was resting on to the pan. Pour in enough stock to come half to three-fourths of the way up the veal breast, about 4 cups. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the stock to a simmer. Turn off the heat. If you have industrial-strength plastic wrap, which won't melt in the oven, cover the Dutch oven or pan tightly with plastic wrap. In either case, cover tightly with aluminum foil and place the lid on if it has one. Place the veal in the oven for 2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and uncover it. Add the turnips, nestling them in the sauce, return the lid to the pot, and place it back in the oven for about 1 hour, until the meat is fork-tender and the vegetables are tender. Remove the veal from the oven and remove and discard the foil and plastic wrap (if you used it) from the pan, being careful not to burn yourself with the steam that will rise from the pan. Allow the meat to cool in the braising liquid for at least 30 minutes. You can prepare the veal to this point up to five days in advance. Cool the meat and turnips to room temperature in the braising liquid. Remove the vegetables and transfer them to an airtight container. Cover the pot with plastic or transfer the veal with the liquid to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it. (You will proceed slightly differently.)
• If you have prepared the veal in advance and are rewarming it, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the veal and turnips from the refrigerator. Remove and discard the fat from the liquid and pour it into a large Dutch oven or stovetop-safe baking dish and cook as directed below to thicken. Remove the string and slice the veal as directed below and lay the slices in the sauce, resting them on top of one another, domino fashion. Nestle the turnips around the veal and place the dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, basting the vegetables and the veal with the sauce occasionally, until the meat is warmed through.
• If you are serving the dish the same day, remove the veal and turnips to a plate, skim the fat from the braising liquid, and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the liquid until it is the consistency of a thick glaze or thin gravy, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan; it will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• To make the garnish, combine the parsley leaves, celery leaves, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Drizzle the leaves with the finishing-quality olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and toss gently to combine.
• To serve, cut off and discard the string from the veal and cut it into eight slices of even thickness. Lay two slices of veal on each of four plates, resting one at an angle on top of the other. Nestle the turnips around the veal, dividing them evenly, and ladle the sauce over the meat. Pile the garnish on each serving, dividing it evenly, and serve.
• Barbera d'Alba (Piedmont)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
• In a saucepan over high heat boil the red wine for 15 minutes. Set aside.
• Season the beef with salt and pepper.
• In a casserole dish over high heat brown the beef in the olive oil.
• Add red wine, stock and remaining ingredients.
• Bring to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven.
• Turn the heat down to 160 degrees celsius and cook for 2 hours.
• Take beef and pork out of the pan and set aside.
• Strain liquid into a bowl and cool slightly.
• Discard herbs. Place carrot, celery and garlic in a blender and puree until smooth, adding enough of the reserved liquid to make a smooth sauce. Return to the pan with the beef.
• Return the pan to the oven for a further 45 minutes or until the meat has fallen apart into the sauce.

Steps:

• Lemon Rosemary Salt-zest two lemons; in a food processor, combine 2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary, 1 large clove garlic and lemon zest; whirl until finely chopped.
• Add 1/2 cup sea salt and pulse once or twice to mix; store in a cool dark place in an airtight glass jar for up to 2 months.
• Stracotto-Preheat oven to 325°.
• An hour before starting to cook, cut the meat into large chunks, about 4 inches square; rinse meat and pat dry with paper towels; set aside to come to room temperature.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of oil into a 5- to 7-quart Dutch oven (it should be just big enough to hold meat in 1 layer); tilt pot to coat bottom with oil.
• Spread half the onion slices on bottom.
• Top with meat, sprinkle with the salt, then cover with remaining onions.
• Drizzle with remaining oil over all.
• Cover pot tightly (if your lid isn't a good fit, cover pot with foil, then put lid on top of that).
• Place in oven and cook until meat is literally falling apart, about 3 hours, stirring gently halfway through cooking.
• Remove from oven and drain off fat.
• Break up meat slightly with a large fork or spoon.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve.