Nonna Elia's Spezzatino
/Nonna Elia's Meat Stew
Udine, Italy
Grandma's spezzatino, simple yet perfect infusion of flavor, time, love and ancestral savoir-faire.
She is an intuitive cook, yet able to experiment and innovate, a young creative mind of 93 years old.
If I am so much into cooking, this is surely because of her. She taught me the power of cooking and eating together, as supreme act of love and generosity.
She showed me how food can be one of the strongest "glues" to gather families, friends, tribes, around a table, to overcome disputes, distance, to share something more than a simple hot dish.
Every time I go back to Italy, I know there will be spezzatino on the menu. She will prepare it days in advance, go to her butcher, ask for the best pieces - "è per Caterina, che viene apposta da Parigi!", accompany it with soft, golden polenta.
Her wooden spoon, used by years and years of amorous service, forgotten a hundred times on burning pans, carries its scars and smoothness as a proud warrior.
Spezzatino is my everlasting Madeleine de Proust, nothing but its smell makes me feel Home.
Spezzatino
Serves 6-7 people
- 800g beef chuck, neatly diced
- 200ml white wine
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 spoon of concentrated tomato
- 2-3 bay leaves
- few capers
- 1 handful mixed fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme
Chop onions, celery, garlic and carrots into small pieces
Heat olive oil in a large and deep pan and brown the meat on all sides. Make sure not to crowd the pan. When meat is browned transfer to a plate
Add vegetables to the pan, and sear them for 5 minutes
Add back the meat
Add the glass of white wine and the spices and cook until almost all of the wine has evaporated
Add 1 glass of cold water / or broth, the concentrated tomato, cover and stew gently for 30minutes
Add another glass of water / broth and let simmer for at least 2 hours
Serve with polenta, purée or roasted potatoes
