Braised Beef over Handmade Noodles

Pretending I'm Italian.

Man, there is something about Italian food. The food is so simple, yet so hearty. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t have been born Italian. I live with an Italian, does that count? I’ve been trying to branch out to more than just pasta and pizza because while I love them, there is more to life. Like braised beef. This is really, really good. I didn’t take into account that a smaller piece of beef would mean less cooking time [simple things elude me sometimes], but it still tasted great. The sauce didn’t end up saucy. It was chunky. You could always add more tomato if that’s your thing. Or wine. Or both. I classed it up with some homemade noodles, which are definitely a work in progress. I need a rolling pin. I’m rocking whatever bottle of wine I have on hand, and it just isn’t the same. I was also rushing. They turned into french fry-esque noodles. I’ll need to practice. Darn.

French fry...noodles?

Stracotto – Adapted from The Art of Cookery – Serves 2-3 (or a dog)

Ingredients

Beef:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of roast [shoulder, stew meat, etc]
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, rough chop
  • 6 oz baby carrots, rough chop
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1/2-3/4 cup red wine [depends on your sauce consistency]
  • 15oz canned tomatoes
  • Parsley [Italian!]
  • Salt

Preparation

  • Brown the beef in a saucepan with high sides on medium high.
  • Turn down to medium, and add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the meat and saute for ten minutes.
  • Increase the heat to medium high and , add the glass of wine and allow to evaporate, and add salt to taste.
  • Add the tomatoes.
  • Turn heat down and simmer for an hour with the lid on the pan.
  • Before removing from the heat, add the roughly chopped parsley.
  • If, at the end of the cooking time, the sauce seems a bit too liquid, increase the heat for a couple of minutes, add a drop of oil and allow to reduce.
  • Cut the beef joint into slices and arrange on a warmed serving dish.


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