Secondo - Beef - Franca's Spezzatino

By SallySmo

This recipe is typically Florentine that doesnt need you to use the 'soffritto' which you will discover as we go through the recipe. It is a delicious dish, very versatile and is a fantastic complete meal when accompanied by a rice pilaf or better still a great risotto. It is based on a quality meat broth ( see recipe) .Boiled or oven roasted rosemary potatoes are also a wonderful side dish and of course, the only 'gravy' you will need are the juices from the spezzatino. You can also use the 'sugo' for crostini. You just toast slices of bread and spread generosly on top. Yum!! Also as a sauce with pasta, the best pasta is a short penne or fusilli & make sure it is topped with a generous grating of FRESH parmesan. There are lots of exciting things you can do with this recipe

Ingredients

• 1 kg. Muscolo – Take the cut of meat from the hind leg that is rich in tendons that cook and melt & make the spezzatino soft & tender.If you use a cut of meat that is very lean your spezzatino will be tough & chewy.
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 kg chopped tomatoes
• salt & pepper

Preparation

Step 1

In a saucepan heat the oil & crushed garlic then add the meat cut into cubes and brown for about 20mins. Pay attention that during this stage of the process the garlic doesnt burn because it will give the meat a bitter taste.

Salt & pepper to taste and then add the flour allowing to drop through a sifter. (the flour is added to allow the sauce to 'stick' to the meat )

Stir well and after about 3mins add the chopped tomatoes, lower the flame and allow to cook, covered for about 1.5 hours. Like all stews, allow the meat to cool a little before serving, it is much nicer not steaming hot.

The perfume of the spezzatino accompanied myself & my brother during breakfast often as my mother would prepare this dish early in the morning before she would go to work, allowing us to find dinner ready. I must also say that even though it was 7.30am, the wonderful smell didnt bother us one bit!!