How to make Stracoto, Italian roast beef recipe.

Fahrenheit Gas Stove Mark

225 F 1/4 Mark

250 F 1/2 Mark

275 F 1 Mark

300 F 2 Marks

325 F 3 Marks

350 F 4 Marks

375 F 5 Marks

400 F 6 Marks

425 F 7 Marks

450 F 8 Marks

475 F 9 Marks

Stracotto (Braised beef)

The name of this recipe actually means ‘overcooked”, but in fact it is a good description, as it is intended for the tougher, tasty cuts of meat which require long, slow cooking.

This is a recipe that my Italian friend and I came up with based on a traditional Italian dish. He comes over and we have cook nights and exchange ideas and recipes.

I've used a piece of brisket that I unrolled and laid out flat so that I could add the rub to both sides.

• Cooking time: three hours 30 minutes.

• 1.5kg beef (shoulder, brisket chuck or stewing).

• 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.

• One onion. Or four, maybe five shallots.

• 2 carrots.

• 1stick of celery.

•4 garlic cloves.

• One glass red wine.

• 5OOg tomatoes. I like to use the ready prepared passata from a carton these days it is so much better.

• Parsley.

Oregano

Thyme

Basil

• Salt.

For the rub.

Dessert spoon of these powders; coriander, garlic, ginger.

Teaspoon of; allspice, salt, cinnamon and mace. Add some chilli powder if you like it hot.

Rub the meat all over to get a real good coating, cover with cling film and then leave to stand for 4 to 6 hours, overnight is okay.

So preheat the oven to 375 degrees F or gas mark 5.

Chop or slice the onion, shallots carrot and celery and add to a frying pan. Drizzle oil over them and then sauté for ten minutes. Increase the heat, add the glass of wine and allow to evaporate, taste for salt and add the tomatoes. Before removing from the heat, add the roughly chopped parsley and other herbs.

Put all the above in your roasting pan we added a few potatoes too and lay the meat over the top. Place a couple of knobs of butter on top too.

Into your oven and leave it alone for three hours, baste it about this time and leave it for another 30 minutes or an hour.

If, at the end of the cooking time, drain the liquid and put it back in your frying pan add a little corn meal flour just to thicken it. Put the vegetables from your roasting tin into a server. Cut the beef joint into slices and arrange on a warmed serving dish, For a smoother sauce, put in the blender briefly, reheat and then pour it over the sliced meat.

Serve this with chunky slices of home baked bread we had 'ciabatta' I'll give you this recipe too pretty soon but it is a bit tricky.

Thanks for reading I hope you try this meal and enjoy it as much as I did telling you about it. Leave a comment too, I'll feel much better.

.

Fabio said it was time we had a nice pudding with the meal so we made a really traditional apple custard torta, 'torta di mele' served with fresh cream delicious, and I have given you my link to my recipe for this.