Milanese-Style Stewed Beef

Manzo Stufato alla Milanese

Beef slowly cooked in red wine with pancetta, vegetables and herbs, until it becomes tender and full of flavour.

6 servings

Easy

Lombardy

EasyLombardy

Milanese stewed beef is a main course substantial, suitable for an important lunch or dinner where you bring to the table a tender meat and an intense sauce. The prolonged marinating in red wine develops deep aromas and accompanies the pulp with the vegetal notes of carrot, onion and celery, together with spices andbay leaf. The pancetta adds flavour and a fatty component useful for sustaining the long cooking, while the butter contributes to the browning and richness of thepan sauceThe technique requires patience: the beef cooks covered and over low heat, immersed in the aromatic liquid, until it reaches a tender consistency. The stock, concentrated during stewing, can be thickened with a little potato starch If it remains too runny, the recipe is considered a traditional Lombard preparation.

Instructions

Voice reading

7 steps · natural Italian voice

Prepare the marinade

Pour the red wine into a large bowl and add the carrot, onion, celery, whole cloves, thebay leaf, a grating of nutmeg and a few peppercorns. Mix the herbs into the wine, so the liquid is ready to accommodate the meat and flavor it while it rests.

Lardella and marinade

1440 min

Insert half of the beef pulp into the pancetta, distributing it in several places, then immerse the meat in the marinade. Cover and let it rest for twenty-four hours, so that the wine and herbs gradually penetrate the meat and enrich its aroma.

Dry and flour

Drain the meat from the marinade and pat it dry thoroughly, then dredge it in white flour, shaking off the excess. The surface should be coated in a thin, even layer: this will ensure even browning and the bottom will develop more body during cooking.

Brown the meat

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the pancetta remaining. Add the floured meat and brown it on all sides, until the surface becomes well colored and the fat from the pancetta Season the bottom with flavor. Don't proceed until the browning is uniform.

Add the marinade

Pour into the saucepan the marinade wine together with the vegetables and add a new bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, gently scraping the bottom to incorporate the flavourful residues from the browning and obtain a pan sauce homogeneous.

Cook slowly

240 min

Cover the saucepan Cook over very low heat for four hours. Maintain a barely perceptible simmer: the meat should cook without boiling, while the juices slowly thicken. To preserve the aroma, place cold water on the lid, which helps the steam condense.

Adjust the bottom

Check the sauce at the end of cooking: it should be fragrant and thick enough to coat the spoon. If it is too liquid, dissolve a little tablespoon Of potato starch in a little water or broth and incorporate it into the base, stirring until it reaches the desired consistency.

Chef's Tips

The editorial team recommends keeping the cooking very low and covered: the beef must simmer slowly for four hours, so that it becomes tender without drying out the bottom.