Name: Italian braised beef stew in red wine
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: Olive oil for frying; 1.5kg British beef brisket, cut into 5cm chunks; 40g dried porcini mushrooms; 2 onions, sliced; 2 celery sticks, chopped; 4 fat garlic cloves, sliced; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 350ml full-bodied Italian red wine (see wine editor’s choice); 2 tsp dried oregano; 3 fresh rosemary sprigs; 2 bay leaves; 400g tin chopped plum tomatoes (preferably Italian); 300ml beef stock; 500g small waxy potatoes, such as charlotte; 100g pitted olives, a mix of green and black; 3 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed; Large casserole with a lid

Italian braised beef stew in red wine

Something magical happens when you slow-cook beef in red wine – and it looks a little something like this recipe. Beef brisket is cooked low and slow for over five hours in the oven in this braised beef stew – once you taste it, the wait will seem utterly worth it. If you’re looking for a recipe to entertain Christmas crowds, this would also fit the bill.

Freezable

Serves6

Hands-on30 min

Oven5 hours

DifficultyEasy

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Heat a glug of oil in the casserole over a high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, then fry in 2-3 batches until browned all over. Set aside.
Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl, pour over 200ml freshly boiled water, then set aside for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat another glug of oil in the casserole over a medium heat, then add the onions and celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until beginning to colour and soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then add the rehydrated porcini with all but the last 1cm soaking liquid (discard as it will be gritty), the tomato purée, wine, herbs and tinned tomatoes. Rinse out the tin with the beef stock and add that to the casserole as well. Stir well.
Return the browned beef to the casserole, cover with the lid, then transfer to the oven and cook for 5 hours. After 3 hours of cooking, give the stew a good stir, then add the potatoes, olives and capers. Continue to cook until the meat is fall-apart tender and the potatoes have softened.
At the end of cooking, let the casserole rest for a few minutes, then serve with chunky slices of garlic bread (or see Make Ahead).