The braised beef with red wine and polenta is a classic main dish of Italian cuisine for the autumn and winter periods. This recipe, learned from my mother and passed down among family recipes, is usually prepared for family lunches or dinners. The preparation is easy but requires time, as the meat needs to marinate in red wine with vegetables and aromas like juniper berries, bay leaves, and cloves overnight. But the result will reward your patience. Serve with polenta or, if you prefer, mashed potatoes.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 10 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Slow Cooking, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 2.6 lbs beef (cut for braising)
- 7 oz carrots
- 6.3 oz celery
- 6.3 oz white onion
- 25 oz barbera wine
- 6.8 oz tomato puree
- A few berries juniper
- A few cloves
- A few leaves bay leaves
- as needed all-purpose flour
- as needed water (hot)
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed fine salt
- as needed black pepper
- 61 oz water
- 21.2 oz instant coarse cornmeal (for polenta)
- as needed coarse salt
Tools
- Kitchen Scale
- Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Plastic Wrap
- Pot
- Steel Pan
- Lid
- Fork
- Wooden Spoon
- Ladle
- Plate
- Food Processor
- Kitchen Scale
- Bowl
- Steel Pan
- Hand Whisk
Steps
To prepare the braised beef with red wine and polenta…
First, peel and coarsely chop the onions and carrots, then clean the celery from leaves and strings and cut it into pieces.
Transfer the vegetables into a bowl with the beef, pour the wine, and add the aromas, i.e., juniper, bay leaves, and cloves.
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least overnight.
After the marinating hours, remove the braising beef pieces from the bowl and lightly flour them.
Then take a rather large steel pan, pour the extra virgin olive oil, and heat it. When hot, place the floured meat pieces and brown them for about 10 minutes over high heat, turning them on each side.
Once the meat is browned, reduce to medium heat and pour the wine and leftover aromas from the bowl and add the tomato puree. Start cooking the braised beef, lowering the heat again to a minimum, for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
While the beef is cooking, put some water to heat in a pot, which will be used to thin the beef sauce during cooking in case it dries out too much.
Toward the end of cooking, salt and pepper the meat and sauce, then prepare the polenta.
After the braising time, remove the meat pieces and temporarily place them on a plate.
With a ladle, pour the vegetables and some sauce into a food processor with blades, finely chop everything and pour the vegetables back into the pan with the rest of the sauce.
Place the braised beef on a cutting board and slice it about 1/5 inch thick.
Check that the meat is still hot. If not, put it back in the pan with the sauce and heat it for a few minutes.
In a pan, pour water to cook the polenta. When it boils, add the coarse salt and rain in the cornmeal for polenta, stirring simultaneously with a hand whisk to avoid lumps.
Cook the polenta for the minutes indicated on the package and serve it hot with the prepared braised beef with red wine.
