Robust Italian Stew
Submitted by BrandyWine1978
Robust Italian beef stew with red wine, cinnamon, cloves, Nicoise olives, and roasted peppers, slow-simmered and ladled over soft polenta. A true feast-day spoon-and-fork dinner.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
3 hrsThis isn’t a weeknight beef stew. It’s the kind of slow-simmered, spice-spiked Italian ragu that starts after lunch and feeds a crowd for dinner. Seven pounds of chuck browns in batches, builds a deep fond with onions and Italian parsley, then absorbs a stunning cast of aromatics: bay, ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and rosemary. The spice mix whispers of Northern Italian holiday cooking rather than red-sauce Sunday gravy.
Batches are the battle here. Crowd the Dutch oven and the beef steams instead of browning, which robs the stew of the most important flavor layer. Work in five batches, move each one to a bowl, and keep the pan hot between loads.
The Nicoise olives and a final toss of sliced red peppers arrive late so they keep their distinct character. The long braise is for the beef. The garnishes are for texture.
Soft polenta underneath is the correct bed. Its mild corn sweetness absorbs the sauce and anchors the whole plate.
Chef Tips
- Make it a day ahead. The flavors deepen overnight, the fat rises to the surface and lifts off cleanly, and the stew reheats beautifully.
- Use veal stock instead of beef stock if you can source or make it. The silkier body turns the sauce almost bordelaise-rich.
- Keep polenta over a double boiler if you’re holding it before service. Direct heat skins it over, water bath keeps it silky.
- Save the leftover polenta in a lined loaf pan, chill, then slice and pan-fry for crispy polenta cakes the next day.
Variations
- Swap Nicoise for Kalamata olives if you want more robust brine and less floral note.
- Stir in a handful of dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in warm water with their soaking liquid for a deeper, earthier stew.
- Finish with gremolata (chopped parsley, lemon zest, garlic) for a fresh aromatic lift just before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Italian Stew:
Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1/5 of beef and brown on on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to bowl using slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining beef in 4 more batches. Reduce heat to medium.
Add onion and Italian parsley to Dutch oven and cook until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and allspice.
Return beef to Dutch oven and stir to coat with onion and spice mixture. Add red wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer mixture 15 minutes. Add beef stock and simmer 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Mix in olives and rosemary. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until beef is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1½ hours. Add bell peppers, cover and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste wit?? salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Polenta:
Bring water and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Continue whisking until mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cook cornmeal until thick and thoroughly cooked, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes.
(Can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Transfer polenta to metal bowl. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set bowl over large saucepan of barely-simmering water. Stir occasionally.)
Serving:
Bring beef to simmer, stirring occasionally. spoon polenta into shallow soup bowls. Spoon beef over.
Comments
