Old Piedmont Winemaker’s Stew Recipe
In reality, we find two recipes here; you read that right, two recipes. The first is a sauce recipe that I had the pleasure of discovering many years ago, at the beginning of my passion, and I haven’t let go of the recipe since. Whenever I need a robustly flavored sauce to accompany delicious tagliatelle, flavorful meatballs, and a stew with the characteristic taste of Piedmont soil… Wine.
It is an old sauce, which, as Goria wrote, we find in many hilly Italian areas with a wine vocation. A sauce that, due to its tangy flavor, farmers could take to the vineyards, as the summer heat would not alter its characteristics. If the day was good, they added some sausage pieces, some seasonal mushrooms, and, if really lucky, some stew.
First of all, you need to have at your disposal, hard-leaf aromatics like rosemary, sage, and thyme, soft-leaf aromatics, parsley, basil, celery, a slice of pork cheek, and you’re all set!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Slow Cooking, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring, Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1.76 lbs beef (For stew)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup red wine (Preferably, Barbera or Dolcetto)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 bunch aromatic herbs (Rosemary thyme sage)
- 1 bunch aromatic herbs (Parsley, celery, and basil)
- 2 slices pork cheek (not too thick)
- 1 tea cup mushrooms (I use a mix. I use mushrooms collected and preserved in freezer after blanching. Dried mushrooms work too.)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste olive oil
Tools
A pan and a pot for slow cooking, preferably in terracotta.
- Terracotta Pans
- Pans
Steps
First, you need to brown the meat in a small amount of oil…
In the meantime, fry the thinly sliced onion, mushrooms (if using dried mushrooms, soak them beforehand), and chopped hard herbs with the pork cheek cut into strips in a little oil.
In a bowl, pour the tomato sauce, wine, and flour, and mix well until a lump-free sauce is obtained.
After browning on low heat, add the wine sauce and mix well
Add the previously browned meat and cook slowly. If the sauce reduces too much and should remain fluid, add a little hot water or vegetable broth; adjust the salt towards the end of cooking
Finish with the chopped soft leaf herbs; another ten minutes of cooking and you can serve
Your stew is ready to serve
Serve it in individual terracotta bowls.
Accompany the stew with polenta, or boiled potatoes on the side, mashed potatoes, or roasted pumpkin. If you wish to prepare the winemaker’s sauce, just omit the meat and use it to season a plate of fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, perhaps enriched with small pieces of fresh sausage, browned together with mushrooms and pork cheek. Your taste buds will sing!
