Stracotto means OVER COOKED in Italian and is the reason this beef stew is so tender and succulent! It is usually served with potatoes or pappardelle pasta, but the Italian beef and tomato sauce is paired here with Puréed Cauliflower! Fewer carbs and more veggies to get you to the goal of 4 cups of vegetables a day!
This recipe is adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Russo and Sheila Lukins. There are several steps, but so worthwhile!
Stracotto starts out by searing a whole beef pot roast. After it simmers in beef broth it’s removed from the pot and sliced into pieces.
Here’s what that looks like. I used red peppers instead of green this time:
This beef roast is sliced during the cooking and after simmering 3 hours is dished up with mashed potatoes and topped with the hearty Italian tomato sauce.
Shavings of hard cheese like Parmesan can be dropped on top.
Directions and Ingredients
- Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat.
- Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and swirl around
- Add a 3 and 1/2 pound beef chuck roast.
- Keep over medium high heat and brown on one side. Don’t touch or try to turn it until it’s deeply browned, about 10 minutes each side.
- Once it’s crusty brown, 10 minutes, turn it over and brown the other side
- After it’s browned, remove beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add to the same saucepan:
4 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
8 cloves garlic, slivered
- Sauté until softened.
- Place the roast back in the saucepan over the vegetables
- Pour over the roast:
2 cups beef stock
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove the roast and place on a cutting board
- Trim off the fat and divide roast into 3 to 4 inch wide sections
- Slice the sections across the grain into 1/4 inch slices
- Return the slices to the saucepan.
- Mix in the following:
2-28 ounce cans diced tomatoes OR 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can tomato sauce for a thicker sauce (If you like spice measure heaping teaspoons)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
5 dried bay leaves or dried Mirto leaves which I found in Corsica and Sicily
2 green peppers chopped
1 and 1/2 cups rich red wine, like Cab, Shiraz, Chianti, Pinot
- Bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours
At this point it’s ready to serve with the traditional penne or pappardelle style pasta or mashed potatoes. It’s super on its own too as a hearty soup!
I used Puréed Cauliflower here which is like a light mashed potato.
Puréed Cauliflower
- Wash 1-2 large heads of cauliflower and cut into big chunks
- Place in a medium saucepan with an inch of water.
- Bring to a boil, cover and then simmer till tender, about 10 minutes
- Drain the cauliflower and purée with an emersion or stick blender.
The Pureed Cauliflower using 1 head of cauliflower serves 4-6. The Stracotto serves closer to 12. If you are serving a crowd, use 2 heads of cauliflower. The Stracotto is so involved, I like to make this big recipe and freeze the leftovers or serve to guests at a dinner party. Perfect comfort food for cold winter nights
Voila!
nina in the kitchen 