Italian stew

When temperatures reach low levels, I’m extra in the mood for heavy dishes like soup, mashed potatoes and stews. Pair this with a good, red wine with lots of body and I’m a happy woman. This recipe for Italian stew may take a few hours before it’s tender and perhaps therefore it’s more of a weekend dish. Prepare for a lovely smelling house!

What do you need for 4 persons?

• 2 onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 kg of lean beef, preferably with some fat attached
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• a sprig of rosemary
• a sprig of thyme
• 2 dried chilli peppers
• 1 glass of red wine
• 3 sticks of celery
• 1 big carrot
• 70 grams of concentrated tomato paste
• 400 grams of canned tomatoes

How to prepare an Italian stew?

Chop the onions and cloves of garlic and pan-fry it in a Dutch oven. In the meantime, dice the beef into pieces of around 2 centimetres and add them to the Dutch oven.

Then add the cinnamon, chopped rosemary, thyme and dried chilli peppers. When the meat is scorched on the outside, you may add the glass of red wine.

Start with dicing the sticks of celery and carrot and add to the pan. Also add the tomato pasted and canned tomatoes and let it simmer for about 4 hours.

Stir every now and then to make sure that the meat doesn’t burn. If the Dutch oven runs out of moisture while simmering, add a bit of water to keep it wet enough. At last add pepper and salt to taste.

Serve the Italians stew with pappardelle or roasted potatoes.