The Sicilian stew or ‘carne aggrassata’ (or agglassata) is a delicious dish typical of Sicilian tradition. Unlike the classic stew, the meat is not floured and the only vegetables used are potatoes and onions. The sauce that forms is truly exquisite, and it is from this sauce that the recipe gets its name, in fact, ‘aggrassato’ does not mean fatty, but glazed, because the potatoes break down during cooking, creating a sort of creamy “glaze” that wraps around every piece of meat. Very tender, simple and super flavorful, the Sicilian stew is a recipe you absolutely must try, the meat cuts with a breadstick, and the cream is spectacular. Prepare some bread for dipping or, as we always do in our family, save the sauce to dress the pasta, you’ll see how amazing it is!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs beef
- 2.2 lbs potatoes
- 3.5 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 3 golden onions
- 4.2 cups water (or broth)
- Half glass white wine
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste herbs
Steps
The Sicilian stew is very easy to prepare, first chop the onions until you get a sort of cream, put them in a pot, add the extra virgin olive oil, the herbs (I used rosemary, sage, and a bay leaf, tie them with kitchen string to prevent them from breaking apart during cooking) and let them brown for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the beef cut into large pieces and let it fry for a few minutes, as soon as it gets darker, lightly salt it, deglaze with the white wine and, after a couple of minutes, pour in the water (or vegetable or beef broth), salt it and let it cook for about an hour (even an hour and a half if you have time).
After the time has passed, add the peeled and diced potatoes, salt, pepper, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, the potatoes should break down a bit.
Remove the herb bundle and give it a good stir, let the Sicilian stew rest for about ten minutes and serve it. With the sauce, you can also dress the pasta.
Suggestions:
The Sicilian stew can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days. You can use the cut of veal or beef you prefer. If you use broth that is already salted, only lightly salt the meat before deglazing and adjust if necessary at the end of cooking.
More stew recipes HERE
