Recipes » Meat » Beef

Stracotto


This method of cooking a roast of beef in a sauce made from good Chianti wine, tomatoes and vegetables over low heat for an extended period creates a wonderful dish that is both fork tender and full of flavor. When I lived in Italy, you could buy the roast of beef already sliced into thin slices but still attached at one end. The roasts were then tied of with string to keep them together while cooking. You can do the same here, cutting the roast before cooking into slices, but it is just as easy to do this after the meat is cooked. I usually make lots of sauce, which is enough to serve on another day on top of pasta. You can cook this roast either on the stovetop on simmer, or in a low oven, whiever you prefer. You will want to serve this dish with a side of garlic mashed potatoes, or on a bed of soft polenta to enjoy the flavorful sauce. There is enough sauce leftover to use it on pasta another day.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2011

Stracotto

Stracotto

Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 29 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

A Tuscan inspired beef dish slowly cooked to perfection in red wine.

Ingredients

  • 1 (2 to 3) Pound Roast Of Beef (Eye Of The Round Is A Good Choice)
  • 2 Stalks Of Celery, Chopped
  • 1 Medium Onion, Chopped
  • 2 Large Carrots, Chopped
  • 3 Cloves Of Garlic, Minced
  • 3/4 Cup Dried Porcini Mushrooms
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped, Fresh Parsley
  • 1 (28 Ounce) Can Top Quality Italian Chopped Tomatoes
  • 1/2 Bottle Of Chiant Wine

Instructions

  1. Season the meat well with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and brown the meat well on all sides.
  3. Remove it and keep warm.
  4. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery to the pan and saute until tender, and starting to brown.
  5. Put the dried mushrooms into a bowl, and add 1 cup of hot water, and let sit for 15 minutes.
  6. Drain, reserving the mushroom water, and chop finely.
  7. Add the mushrooms into the pot with the other vegetables along with the canned tomatoes.
  8. Strain the mushroom water, and add 1/2 cup to the tomato mixture.
  9. Season with salt and pepper.
  10. Bring to a boil, and return the roast to the pot.
  11. Add enough of the red wine so the roast is about 3/4 covered, and reduce the heat to low.
  12. Cover, and cook on low heat for 3 hours, turning the roast and stirring the contents of the pot every 30 minutes, and adding additional wine as needed if the sauce reduces too much.
  13. If you prefer cooking the roast in the oven, place the ovenproof pot with the roast and sauce in an oven preheated to 300 degrees F.
  14. Cook for 3 hours.
  15. Once the roast is done, remove it to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil.
  16. Turn the heat up on the sauce, and cook it until it has thickened.
  17. Add the fresh, chopped parsley, and stir.
  18. Cut the roast into thin slices, and serve with a scoop of sauce on top.

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2 Comments

  1. Excellent! The entire house smells so inviting while this is cooking. Great with eye round! Thank you, again! Family can’t wait to see what I’m making next!

  2. This is DELICIOUS! I used chuck boneless and would use either a different part of beef or bone in.

    I made it in our convection steam oven – Molto Delizisio!

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