Italian Braised Beef & Potato Spezzatino
Easy
Prep 15 min Cook 40 min
One of the many delicious recipes from my cookbook ” My Taste of Sicily” – Grab your copy here.
It never ceases to amaze me the simplicity of Italian cooking – in this case my “Italian Braised Beef & Potato Spezzatino” is evidence that the fewer the ingredients, the better the flavour of the dish. This dish is a favourite with the men and makes a hearty winter meal served with crusty bread.
Most traditional Sicilian dishes could give the four ingredients approach to cooking a run for their money. This dish of beef, potatoes, onions and stock is no exception and one that has been a favourite of my brothers all their lives. It was always their special birthday dinner request, much to our mother’s delight. Although the dish traditionally requires beef stock, my mother has made this dish for the past thirty years using water instead, and the rich meaty flavour always remains, just as I first remember it. You could also use veal steaks if you prefer, in which case, cut it into 1.5 – 2 cm cubes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 500 g potatoes, cut into 1 ½ cm cubes
- 1 kg stewing beef or chuck steak, cut into 1 ½ cm cubes
- 1–1.5 litres beef stock or water
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- crusty bread, to serve
Recipe Steps
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan or heavy-based flameproof casserole dish over medium heat and fry the onion 2 minutes or until translucent. Transfer the onion to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, and fry the potato in batches over medium heat for 8 minutes turning them after 4 minutes, adding more oil as needed, until golden and crispy; it is important not to overcrowd the pan when cooking the potatoes so they seal to golden brown and don’t become soggy. Add the potato to the onion and set aside.
- Add the beef to the pan and fry over high heat for 7 minutes, turning until sealed. Add enough beef stock or water to cover the beef, then season with salt and lots of pepper (the pepper adds a wonderful flavour to this dish so don’t be shy to grind away). Bring the stock or water to the boil, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.
- Return the onion and potato to the pan and simmer for a further 9 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Scatter the braised beef and potato with parsley and serve with crusty bread.