Recipe Summary

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 3 Hours

Servings: 3 to 4

Ingredients

Red Onion

(medium, cleaned)

Celery

(rib)

carrot

(scraped)

Basil Leaf

(fresh or preserved in salt)

Tablespoon

Olive Oil

Pound

Beef Chuck

(cut into 1 1/2 in cubes)

1/2

Cup

Red Wine

(dry)

Pound

canned tomatoes

(preferably imported Italian, drained)

Pinch

red hot pepper flakes

To Taste

Salt

To Taste

Black pepper

1. Coarsely chop the onion, celery, carrot, and basil leaves all together.
2. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole, preferably terra-cotta, and when it is warm, add the chopped ingredients. Saute on medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the meat, and let saute for about 15 minutes, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon so the meat does not stick to the pan.
4. Add the wine and lower the heat, to allow the wine to evaporate slowly (about 15 minutes).
5. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill, using the disc with the smallest holes, into the casserole.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes, then cover the casserole and simmer very slowly for 2 1/2 hours, adding some cold water if additional liquid is needed.
7. Taste for salt and pepper and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more (at which time the meat should be soft and the sauce rather thick), then remove the casserole from the heat.
8. Transfer the spezzatino to a serving dish and serve hot with some of the sauce.
9. Note: In Florence, spezzatino is served on the same plate with whole boiled potatoes, peeled before serving, or with slices of polenta. Sometimes the potatoes are peeled, cut into pieces, and placed in the casserole about 20 minutes before the spezzatino is completely cooked, to allow the potatoes to cook in the meat gravy.