Spezzatino con Patate

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Origin

• Region: Veneto / Northern Italy (Universal comfort food)

Description

A comforting, cold-weather stew featuring uniform chunks of beef chuck or veal shoulder that are slow-braised with a classic aromatic soffritto, dry red wine, and a light tomato broth. Starchy potato chunks are added late in the cook, absorbing the rich juices while naturally thickening the stew.

Presentation

Spoon hot into deep, wide rimmed ceramic bowls. The stew should be thick and cohesive—not watery like soup. Serve it alongside thick slices of toasted rustic bread or over a bed of warm polenta.

Ingredients

• 800g beef chuck roast or veal shoulder, cut into 1.5-inch cubes

• 3 large starchy potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 1 large carrot, diced

• 1 celery stalk, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 50g all-purpose flour (for coating)

• 45ml extra virgin olive oil

• 200ml dry red wine

• 400ml high-quality beef stock

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

• 2 fresh bay leaves

• Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Dredge the Beef: Pat the cubes of beef completely dry with paper towels. Season them thoroughly with sea salt and black pepper, then dredge through the flour, shaking away any loose coating.

2. Sear Chunks: Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, sear the beef cubes until a dark crust forms on all sides (about 5 minutes per batch). Transfer the beef to a plate.

3. Sauté Soffritto: Lower the heat to medium. Toss the diced onion, carrot, celery, and minced garlic directly into the residual pan fat. Sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until the vegetables are soft and sweet.

4. Deglaze: Pour in the dry red wine, scraping up the caramelized crust from the bottom of the pot. Let it boil rapidly for 3 minutes until the liquid reduces by half.

5. Simmer Meat: Stir in the tomato paste and hot beef stock. Return the seared beef chunks along with their juices back to the pot. Drop in the fresh rosemary sprig and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover with a tight lid, and simmer slowly for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

6. Add Potatoes: Uncover the pot and stir in the potato chunks. Cover again and continue simmering for an additional 35 to 40 minutes. The meat should become completely fork-tender and the potatoes soft, with their starches naturally thickening the gravy. Discard the bay leaves and rosemary stem before serving.

Optional Variations

• Spezzatino Bianco: Omit the tomato paste entirely and use dry white wine and vegetable stock, adding a handful of sweet peas during the final 10 minutes of cooking.

Cooking Tips

• Do not cut the potato pieces too small; they need to match the long cooking time of the stew. Small pieces will disintegrate completely into the gravy before the meat finishes softening.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 510 kcal

• Carbohydrates: 24g

• Protein: 42g

• Fat: 22g

• Saturated Fat: 7g

• Cholesterol: 115mg

• Sodium: 610mg