Italian cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Spezzatino con Polenta

Northern Italian beef stew with red wine and tomato, braised for two hours and ladled over soft polenta.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g beef shoulder
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 200 ml red wine
• 400 g strained tomatoes
• 600 ml beef broth
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g polenta (cornmeal)
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the beef into 3 cm cubes, pat dry and salt; finely dice the onions, carrots and celery.
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot and brown the meat cubes in batches for 4–5 min all around so they take on color instead of releasing water, then remove.
3. Sauté the vegetables in the drippings for 8 min until soft, add the tomato paste and fry for 2 min until it turns deep red and smells sweet.
4. Deglaze with the red wine, scraping up the browned bits, simmer for 5 min, then add the meat, strained tomatoes, 400 ml broth and rosemary and braise covered gently for 100 min, until the meat falls apart.
5. In the last half hour, bring 800 ml salted water to a boil, whisk in the polenta and cook over low heat for 25 min, stirring frequently, into a soft, creamy mass; thin with the remaining broth if needed.
6. Simmer the stew uncovered for 10 min until the sauce thickens, and serve the spezzatino over the hot polenta.