Pearà

Creamy pear with marrow and pepper, Venetian sauce ideal with mixed boiled meats, capon and croutons polenta.

4 servings

Easy

Veneto

EasyVeneto

Pearà is a warm, creamy sauce from Venetian cuisine, designed to accompany boiled meat dishes and enhance their delicacy with the richness of the marrow and the aroma of pepper. Its consistency is the result of the combination of day-old bread and beef broth, while the butter helps to make the mixture More harmonious and velvety. Pepper, used both finely and in more noticeable granules, allows for a progressive, aromatic, and not necessarily aggressive flavor. The prolonged and very slow cooking is the key technical point: it allows the bread to fully hydrate and the fatty elements to blend without separating. Pearà should be served very hot, because it tends to become more compact as it cools. It is ideal with mixed boiled meats, boiled capon, and crostini. polenta toasted.

Instructions

Voice reading

9 steps · natural Italian voice

Prepare the bread

Bake it day-old bread Grate at 150°C (302°F), without browning. Let it dry and heat evenly, keeping it pale: this step eliminates excess moisture without introducing toasted notes that would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the marrow.

Dissolve the marrow

Transfer the beef, veal, and pork marrow, divided equally, to a terracotta or enameled iron pot. Melt it. over low heat starting from raw, mixing delicately until obtaining a smooth and homogeneous base, without browning or burning.

Add the butter

Add the butter to the melted marrow and let it melt completely. Keep the heat low. the mixture It must be smooth and shiny, without frying or browning, before adding the broth.

Pour the hot broth

Pour the boiling beef broth into the pot, keeping the heat low and ensuring continuous cooking. Gradually add the required amount, without interrupting the boil: the liquid should be incorporated into the fat base without forming lumps.

Add the bread

After a few minutes of boiling, add the breadcrumbs a little at a time, stirring to distribute them evenly. Continue with a light boil: the bread should hydrate without sticking to the bottom and the mixture it should start to get creamy.

Cook slowly

120 min

Let the pearà cook over very low heat for at least two hours, maintaining a slow and even cooking. Stir when necessary and check that the sauce remains moist, uniform, and free of lumps; the aroma should be full, but without any hints of toasting.

Complete with pepper

15 min

Fifteen minutes before removing the pan from the heat, add the pepper, divided between very finely ground pepper and coarsely ground pepper. Stir well and use sparingly: the flavor should be aromatic and lively, not excessively spicy.

Adjust the consistency

Assess the consistency while the sauce is still hot and adjust with a little broth or more breadcrumbs. Aim for a creamy, smooth consistency, because the mixture It hardens as it cools; if it already appears very dense when cooked, when lukewarm it will probably be too compact.

Serve very hot

Bring the pearà to the table at the highest temperature possible, preferably on a chafing dish, because the marrow also tends to solidify as it loses heat. Serve it as an accompaniment to mixed boiled meats and boiled capon, or with crostini. polenta well toasted on the grill.

Chef's Tips

The editors recommend adjusting the consistency only at the end, because the pearà hardens quickly as it cools: add broth or bread until the sauce becomes a smooth cream during cooking.