Peposo – Tuscan Red Wine Beef Stew

Peposo is a traditional Tuscan stew originating from Impruneta.

Peposo is traditionally cooked in a terra cotta pot which Impruneta is famous for. You will find Peposo on the menu in many authentic Italian restaurants in Tuscany. It is usually served with polenta.

Recipe courtesy of Inside The Rustic Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef chuck or shank or stewing beef (1 kg) cut into 1 inch cubes2 lbs beef chuck or shank or stewing beef (1 kg) cut into 1 inch cubes

• 1 bottle red wine Chianti or Sangiovese if possible1 bottle red wine Chianti or Sangiovese if possible

• 6 whole garlic cloves peeled6 whole garlic cloves peeled

• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp sea salt flakes or kosher salt1 tsp sea salt flakes or kosher salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot, brown the beef on all sides for a minute or two (you might need to do this in batches so there is enough room).

2. Add the beef and juices back to the pot (if browning in batches) and add the red wine, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer on a medium-low heat for 1.5 hours, uncover the pot and continue to simmer the stew for another 1.5 hours until the liquid has reduced slightly.

4. Top tip: once the stew is uncovered check it every so often and give it a stir to make sure it doesn’t stick or the meat at the top dries out.

5. The beef should be tender but not completely falling apart. Serve with creamy polenta and crusty bread.

Notes

•     The stew sauce is quite thin but that’s how it should be, if you prefer a thicker sauce simply whisk 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1-2 tsp of water then add it to the stew at the end of cooking to thicken.

•     Traditionally this stew is cooked in a terracotta pot but I like to use a Dutch oven. You can use any large pot you have as long as it has a lid to cover it.

•     Use any good stewing beef for this, traditionally beef shank is used, I use beef chuck cut into chunks.

•     Use freshly ground black pepper, don’t use pre-ground pepper that you can buy at the supermarket because it doesn’t taste as good.

•     Whatever you do, do not use cooking wine! Use Chianti or San Genovese red or a good red wine that you would happily drink.