The boiled beef ‘Picchiapò’ style – or simply ‘Picchiapò’ – is a traditional Roman recipe to reuse beef broth meat and give it new life with a sort of tomato stew that is rich and flavorful. A dish that has its roots in a distant time when meat was a luxury and used to its fullest, ‘Picchiapò’ can also be recreated today because, beyond the fact that it’s always a pity to waste food, if prepared carefully, ‘Picchiapò’ is one of the best ways to reuse broth meat: slowly cooked until tender, tomato and onion enrich its flavor, bestowing sweetness and the right acidity. The original Roman recipe for ‘Picchiapò’ requires few simple ingredients: boiled beef – that is, meat already used to make broth, which, unlike boiled beef, is cooked starting from cold water – onions and peeled tomatoes. If you enjoy strong flavors, you can also add a crushed dried chili pepper. ‘Picchiapò’ is a simple and tasty dish, also excellent for stuffing delicious sandwiches.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Lazio
- Energy 492.44 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 20.36 (g) of which sugars 5.61 (g)
- Proteins 58.93 (g)
- Fat 21.70 (g) of which saturated 5.38 (g)of which unsaturated 3.30 (g)
- Fibers 3.72 (g)
- Sodium 4,062.90 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for ‘Picchiapò’
- 1.5 lbs beef (boiled; about 2.6 lbs raw)
- 24.7 oz peeled tomatoes
- 2 red onions
- as needed beef broth
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 dried chili pepper (optional)
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pan non-stick, wide and with a thick bottom, with lid
How to Prepare Boiled Beef ‘Picchiapò’ Style According to the Original Roman Recipe
Start by slicing the onions thinly (1). If you have them, it’s better to use red onions as they are sweeter and more aromatic, but yellow ones will do as well. In a bowl, pour the peeled tomatoes and crush them roughly with your hands or a fork (2). Cut the boiled beef into cubes about 0.8 inches per side (3). Heat a little broth (about 1 1/4 cups).
In a large pan with a thick bottom or a terracotta pan, pour the oil and add the onion (4). If you like, you can also add a crushed dried chili pepper. Sauté over low heat for a few seconds, then moisten with a ladle of hot broth (5).
This way, it will soften without the risk of burning. Let it stew for a couple of minutes, then add the boiled beef cubes (6).
Moisten it as well with a little broth and soon after add the peeled tomatoes (7). Salt (sparingly as the meat and broth have already been salted), pepper, and moisten again with a little broth.
Cover the pan with a lid (8) and let the ‘Picchiapò’ cook over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it dries out too much, moisten with a ladle of hot broth.
After the cooking time, remove the lid and let the cooking juices thicken (9), then turn off the heat.
Serve the ‘Picchiapò’ immediately, accompanied by a nice slice of homemade bread or a potato side dish, like a classic mashed potatoes, or even with some polenta.
Storage
You can store ‘Picchiapò’ in the refrigerator, in a glass container, for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
If you don’t have peeled tomatoes, you can use 2 cups of tomato puree. If you want, you can flavor the stew with a leaf or two of basil. If you don’t have beef broth, you can replace it with vegetable broth. You can find more ideas for reusing broth meat here.
FAQ
What cut of meat should I use for ‘Picchiapò’?
‘Picchiapò’ is a recovery dish, so traditionally it is prepared with the cuts of meat used for the broth: brisket, chuck, shoulder, or flank.
Why is it called ‘Picchiapò’?
The origin of the name ‘Picchiapò’ is not entirely certain: some say it comes from the habit of “beating” the meat on a cutting board to tenderize it, others refer to a traditional Roman mask called Bicchiapò. The fact remains that this dish belongs as few others do to the Roman culinary tradition, which consists of homemade dishes with strong flavors. Not by chance, it appears several times in Ettore Scola’s film “We All Loved Each Other So Much” (1974), in which Rome serves as the backdrop to the story, becoming, one might say, the fourth protagonist.
