Directions: |
Directions:There is nothing like a moist, meaty cut of beef falling off the bone
served in a rich red wine sauce served over polenta. In the Northern
Italian region of Piemonte, this is called "Brasato al Barolo". We use
short ribs or beef cheeks for this classic dish and they are slowly cooked
until they are meltingly tender. Begin with the best short ribs possible.
Season them with salt and dredge in flour. Sear the meat over medium-high heat in extra virgin olive oil until well browned on all sides. This is one of the most important steps in the braising process. This process of browning creates the foundation of flavor for the entire dish. If not enough time is spent browning the meat, the final product will be seriously lacking in flavor. After this process, we take the meat out of the pan and add roughly chopped onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables until softened. Add the meat back to the pan and deglaze with a big red wine such as Barolo or its less expensive friend, Barbera D'Alba. In Piemonte, where there is more Barolo than they can drink, they would use it for this dish. I highly recommend drinking that Barolo and cooking with Barbera. Then add a star anise, 1/2 of a cinnamon stick, a garlic clove or two, a grated nutmeg , and a sprig of rosemary. Then add water to the pot, just short of covering the meat. Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in a 275 degree oven and cook until the meat is super tender. It should take a few hours (at least 2 ½), depending on how much meat you are cooking. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, take the lid off of the pot to reduce the braising
liquid. Serve the meat over polenta or just by itself. It may take a long
time to cook, but it is SO rewarding. I always make some extra for the next
day. We make a ragu from the leftover meat to serve with pasta. It's also a
great filling for ravioli or Agnolotti. |
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