Feb 24, 2010

Brasato al Barolo recipe

Classic, elegant and Piemontese. Quintessential "secondo" entrée, Brasato is ideally braised with the "king of wines" Barolo. Since this particular meat recipe yields 10 servings, I suggest you save it for a special occasion, and get a head start on the invitations.

As handed to me personally by Sonia in her divine Trattoria dai Saletta, in Torino:


1 1/2 kg (3.3 lbs) beef suitable for braising, in one piece (I used brisket–but sirloin and round are OK too), not too lean or it will be dry
1 1/2 liters (a bottle and a half) of Barolo or similar full bodied, tannic red wine
3 garlic cloves, halved
4 onions, minced
4 carrots, minced
a stalk of celery, minced
2 bay leaves
a sprig of rosemary
5 cloves
100 g (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
A fistful of flour
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Tie the meat with butcher's twine so it will keep its shape, dredge it lightly with flour and sear it in a pot with the oil. Once it’s well browned on all sides, add the minced vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and cloves. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer over a low flame until the vegetables are translucent.

Pour in the wine to cover the meat completely, place the lid back on the pot and cook gently until the meat is done, about 2 hours, turning the roast occasionally.

When the meat is done remove it to a platter and discard the string, bay leaf and rosemary. Strain the cooking fondo, pour it over the meat, and serve. The meat will be so tender you'll carve it with a spoon.

Serve with mashed potatoes or steaming polenta, and the other vegetables you like (as long as not too obtrusive). And, of course, a bottle of Barolo.


23 comments:

  1. oh eleonora, i am not much of a red meat eater but i can tell yet again, just by stopping by, that i am going to enjoy your blog very much. i love your passion.

    i'm into passion.... :)

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  2. I'm available if you've got room for one more at your table for 10.

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  3. oh, dinner can not get here soon enough...you got my mouth watering lola..

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  4. I like the sound of cooking it in the wine, and then drinking more of the same wine while eating it ! No doubt it all slips down into the belly very smoothly, with hardly a whimper ! My mouth is watering already...

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  5. E-
    I did something like this recipe in my Crock Pot-and it was magnificant also.........have you tried preparing it that way?

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  6. That looks so good, it's making me happy I have short ribs in the slow cooker and potatoes boiling on the stove right now. The meat looks delicious and the sauce so velvety!

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  7. I bet it would cook as well in the oven, slowly. I tend to enjoy these meals tremendously; leftovers are good too.

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  8. Thank you friends for your lovely comments. There's another way of preparing this dish, which requires an overnight marinade and then a slow cooking in the oven with the strained marinade wine, but I personally prefer this application. I've tried making both and this one yields the more tender meat, tastier juices and overall best results.
    The Crockpot is another solution, but I've never tried using it for this.

    Ciao and enjoy!
    E xx

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  9. Yum, thanks for a great lunch idea! I'll just use rice flour in place of the regular flour!

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  10. Wow!!! Your recipes are making my mouth water!!!! Can't wait to explore more here for some much needed culinary inspiration.

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  11. Yes. I'll bite. I'll eat. Just say when. Off to find the wine....

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  12. Looks delicious...maybe for dinner tonight

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  13. Looks delicious, and relatively simple. Printing off now - going to test it on my mother! Thanks

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  14. This looks delicious! I can't wait to give it a try on the roast I have in the freezer.

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  15. Oh! That looks way too good for so early in my morning. Quiet, stomach!

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  16. Oh that looks good. I had leftovers for dinner that were good but not as nice as this would have been.

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  17. Thank you all for your lovely comments! have a great weekend

    Eleonora/Lola xx

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  18. Excellent. Luscious. You have shown of my favorites but with one twist. I've never considered adding walnuts and brie to scrambled eggs with tartufi bianchi ... too afraid of interfering with the magic of the tartufi. Are these Tartufi Bianchi d'Alba? I hope not. This will work better with a "lesser" tartufo from, say, Orvieto since I don't think there's a brie or walnut that can stand up to the real thing from Alba. Your photos are so good I can almost taste the brasato. God, I miss ITALY!!!!!!!!

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  19. Excellent. Luscious. You have shown of my favorites but with one twist. I've never considered adding walnuts and brie to scrambled eggs with tartufi bianchi ... too afraid of interfering with the magic of the tartufi. Are these Tartufi Bianchi d'Alba? I hope not. This will work better with a "lesser" tartufo from, say, Orvieto since I don't think there's a brie or walnut that can stand up to the real thing from Alba. Your photos are so good I can almost taste the brasato. God, I miss ITALY!!!!!!!!

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