RUSTIC ITALIAN BEEF STEW RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350”F
• In a large cast iron dutch oven add a lug of olive oil and sear the garlic cloves until golden all over. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the onion to the pan and saute until it starts to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
• Then add the beef cubes to the pot with the onions and sprinkle with the flour over the top. Toss to coat well all over and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and cloves to the pot together with the red wine.
• Bring everything to a gentle simmer and add the garlic cloves back to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes until the wine has reduced a little.
• Stir in the fire roasted tomatoes, sea salt and the water. Cover with a tight lid and transfer to the preheated oven for 2 hours.
• After 2 hours have passed, carefully add chopped carrots, rainbow carrots, potatoes and mushrooms to the stew, give it a gentle stir, cover and cook another 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through and the meat falls apart when stabbed with a fork.
• Meanwhile clean the scallions and cut them in half. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Toss to coat and pan sear them in a cast iron skillet until nice golden charr marks form. About 3 minutes.
• Ladle the beef stew into bowls, sprinkle with the parsley and a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Divide the scallions between bowls and serve hot with lots of crusty garlic bruschetta to soak up all the gravy.

Steps:

• Peel carrot and onion, and finely dice each, set aside.  Wash and finely dice celery, set aside.  Remove meat from any bones, if present, and chop into coarse cubes, set aside. Generously coat bottom of sauce pot with good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.  Heat over medium heat, until shimmering and fragrant.  Add chopped vegetables, and cook until softened (aboout 5 minutes) being careful vegetables don't burn (if they begin to cook unevenly, lower heat). Set aside while you sear the meat Add cubed meat when vegetables begin to cook through.   Sear meat on all sides, browning to keep the juices inside the meat.  When browned on all sides, add the freshly-milled pepper and the vegeatables you previously set aside. A note on beef cuts to use:  You can substitute beef rump with shinbone veal.  This is a good dish to use with harder cuts of meat needing longer braising or stewing times.
• Continue cooking over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Add red wine, season to taste with salt. Cover dish with lid, and lower heat until very low and stew is simmering gently.  Cook for at least 2 hours - if you note that stew begins to look too dry, add a bit of room-temperature broth or water and stir to remove bits stuck to bottom of pan.   At the two-hour cooking mark, check to see if your stew is complete.  Meat should be completely cooked through and tender, and sauce should be thickened.   Serve hot with toasted Tuscan bread under stew for an extra surprise!