Slow cooked beef stew
Coda di bue al sugo
This slow cooked beef stew was originally made with oxtail, but tail is one of the cuts rich people avoid, and shin, shank, rump or other tough and boney pieces of meat can be used instead. As long as the meat is good for a couple of hours cooking over low heat.
What I like particularly about this slow cooked beef stew recipe is the mix of spices and especially the paprika which is a little unusual in Italian cooking.
Ingredients
500 g oxtails or beef chunks
2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp flour
1 leeks
3 carrots
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
300 ml red wine
3 laurels
3 cloves
Salt, pepper, paprika, grated nutmeg and thyme
Olive oil
Preparation
Peel and slice onion and garlic cloves
Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Remove the fried onions from the saucepan.
Put the beef chunks in a plastic bag with flour salt, pepper and paprika and shake it around until all the meat is dusted.
Add more oil to the saucepan and fry a layer of beef chunks at a time.
When the beef has browned place it with the onions and fry another batch.
When all the beef is browned, boil off the saucepan with balsamic vinegar.
Add red wine and let the alcohol evaporate before you top up with meat stock or water.
There should be enough liquid to cover the meat.
Return the meat to the saucepan.
Clean and slice leeks and carrots and add them to the pot.
Stir in cloves, laurels, nutmeg and thyme and cover with lid.
Turn down the heat and let the beef stew simmer for 3 hours until the meat is very tender.
Check on the stew regularly and add more water or wine if necessary to make sure it does not stick to the pan.
Serve the slow cooked beef stew with boiled or mashed potatoes.
More slow cooked stews
Rabbit with olives and dried tomatoes
A tasty mix of spices makes this slow cooked beef stew worth waiting for.
Just made the slow cooked beef recipe but I did it a slow cooker or crockpot on low for 8 hours. Prepared it in the morning and it was ready to eat for dinner. Deliious.
Thank you. I really appreciate the feedback and the slow cooker tip. I know a lot of Italian women who swear to the same MO.