Baby shower, funeral, yard work, Chinese food, reruns. That sums up my Saturday. Newspaper, grits, meeting, church, church, church, Italian Beef Stew, Oscars, Barbara Walters, News. And that sums up my Sunday. The only thing that brought me true comfort and peace this past weekend, aside from seeing Tom Ford at the Oscars (now THAT'S how a man should dress!) and Sandra Bullock win her golden statue (compared to Meryl Streep she's like a hot-dog at a banquet - but I love hot-dogs!) was the Italian beef stew. Is that wrong?
Normally I make Oscar Gumbo for our Oscar night festivities...but this year, in honor of Meryl being nominated for Julie and Julia, I decided to make Beef Bourguignon...however, finding myself surrounded by guide books of Italy, I switched gears and herbs and opted for Stracotto di Manzo...Italian Beef Stew...which, in my humble opinion, was every bit as deserving of an Oscar as Meryl.
This dish is very much like Beef Bourguignon...it's slow-cooked with vegetables in wine (I used alcohol free wine, Fre, produced in Napa Valley by the Sutter Home Winery, which is quite good, has all the properties of real wine so the taste and health benefits are there, as well as the marinating magic). The main difference between this dish and Beef Bourguignon would be the flavors, due to Italian herbs, and it's served over Orzo instead of egg noodles...but you could use noodles, rice, potatoes or another pasta.
The mister has a business friend who told a story about how much his friends in India liked his jokes...they said he was mind-BLASTING...he corrected them and said they meant mind-BLOWING but they responded with, no, no, no, you are better than that, you are mind-BLASTING! And so, my friends, is this dish. Mind-blasting, rich, hearty, comfort food...meat so tender you don't need a knife...vegetables swimming in a gravy so aromatic you'll want to wear it as perfume and need I remind you that Sophia Loren was raised on this kind of food...and look at what it did for her! Make this one kids...it's a 5-danger for sure.
Italian Beef Stew - Stracotto di Manzo - Pots and Pins
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 lb. beef chuck pot roast
1/2 lb. pancetta or bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed, peels removed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 1/2 cup red wine or alcohol free wine
1 can (10.5 oz.) beef consomme
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 box (16 oz.) Orzo, cooked, according to package directions
In a large Dutch oven or oven-proof pot, heat olive oil until hot over medium-high heat. Season both sides of pot roast with salt and pepper and add to pot, allowing to brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer roast to a plate. Add pancetta or bacon to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in celery, carrots, onion, garlic and mushrooms, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Taste for seasonings, add more salt and pepper if needed. Add in bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and oregano. Stir to blend. Add in tomato paste, wine, beef consomme and diced tomatoes. Stir to blend. Add meat back to pot, push down to submerge. Cover pot with lid and put in a 350 degree oven for 3 1/2 hours.
Cook Orzo according to package directions and set aside.
When roast is done, remove from oven and using a spoon, skim off as much fat from the surface as you can. To serve, add Orzo to a bowl and top with beef, vegetables and gravy. Serves 6.
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~ Mark Twain
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