photo credit: VirtualErn
Beef braised with Italian red wine – Stracotto al Barolo – is one of my favorite comfort foods! This Piemontese Pot Roast is cooked in Barolo red wine. Barolo is sometimes referred to as the king of wines, for its rich flavor and wonderful aroma. Barolo had admirers throughout Europe as early as the 1700′s. If you can’t find Barolo, Chianti makes a fine substitute.
Although this is “only pot roast”, with Italian bread and a crisp, green salad, this is most certainly company fare. I prefer to use chuck for this recipe for the best flavor, but you could also use eye of round or rump roast. You want about four pounds for this recipe.
Rub the been all over with salt and pepper. Sliver up a few garlic cloves and put these into little slits that you cut into the meat. Cover a skillet with olive oil and brown the meat VERY WELL over fairly high heat.
You now want to place the meat in a pot that is just big enough to contain the meat. In that, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. In this you will saute 3 tablespoons each of chopped red onion, carrot and celery and a minced garlic clove until the vegetables soften. Add a little of your red wine to deglaze the pan, and put the meat back in. Add the remainder of your bottle of wine and 4 ounces of chopped canned tomatoes. Boil for one minute and remove from heat.
Cover tightly and place on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven and braise for about 2 1/2 hours – turning and basting every half hour or so.
When your beef with Italian red wine is fork tender, remove it to a cutting board. If your sauce needs thickening, boil it up a bit until it thickens. Adjust for salt and pepper and slice the meat.
It looks especially nice if you overlap the slices on a platter and then pour the sauce over the top.
Your guests will be thrilled with Italian Stracotto al Barolo!
Mangia Bene!
