Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew. A dish that warms you throughout with its rich and robust comforting flavors right down to the extreme tenderness. It is one of those rustic, few ingredient recipes that prove how magical Italian cooking can be when time does the work for you!
The Story of Peposo
I love recipes that have a wonderful story. This Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew is not only a dish that satisfies your hunger, it is also a dish that tells a story and that is why we love it so much!
The ancient Tuscan stew was born in the kilns of Impruneta, just on the outskirts of Florence. It was traditionally made by the tile makers. They slow braised tough cuts of beef with copius amounts of black pepper and genorous pours of Chianti wine. It was then placed close to the heat of the kiln furnaces early in the morning where it would slow cook all day. By the time their shift ended, aromas of Chianti and pepper filled the workshop. The Peposo would be so unbelievably tender and pleasureable to eat.
Ingredients
Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew is a reminder of how easy and comforting Italian cooking is at its core. A single pot, few ingredients, and patience. This isn't your typical beef stew with chunks of carrots, celery, potatoes, etc. The flavor is built by these ingredients:
- Boneless beef short rib
- Evo oil
- Garlic
- Onion
- Salt and black pepper
- Bay leaves
- Rosemary
- Beef broth
- Chianti wine
- Tomato paste
That's it, these few simple ingredients create a rich dark sauce with just the right amount of warmth from the pepper and a deep flavor that only slow braising can give.
Here is how we make it
- Drizzle oil into a cast pot, bring heat to high, then toss in your cut up boneless short rib. Season with salt and plenty of pepper.
- Sear for ten minutes, stirring often to make sure all sides get browned. Turn off heat.
- With a slotted spoon, scoop out beef chunks letting excess juices fall back into pot. Place beef into a high heat wok slightly drizzled with evo oil. Pour the juices from the pot into a bowl. Sear beef once again to get some good crisp caramelization on the surface about 5 minutes, tossing frequently.
- In the same cast pot that you started the beef, drizzle in 2 tablespoons evo oil, toss in garlic, minced onion and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium and sauté for 5 minutes. Place the seared beef chunks back into the pot and toss well so beef gets coated with all the flavors.
- Pour the juices that you had set aside, into the wok you seared the beef in. Add beef stock, and turn heat to a medium. Let that simmer for 10 minutes until slightly reduced.
- In the cast pot with meat and onion mixture, turn heat to low-medium. Pour in the Chianti wine, and let that simmer until the alchohol has dissipated, about 5 minutes. Spoon in tomato paste, and also the rosemary sprig. Pour in the beef broth and stir. Adjust heat to very low, and cover.
Simmer on low for 3-4 hours covered, stirring occasionally to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Turn off heat, let cool a bit.
Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew
And here it is, this beautiful and tasty Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew. Truly a dish of laborers, born out of necessity and embellished by time and patience.
Serving suggestions
There are many ways to serve up Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew. Try it with mashed potatoes or potato puré, cooked or grilled vegetables, a light salad, or some crusty rustic bread. I even heard of it being served with pappardelle. Honestly, my favorite, especially in the colder months, is on a beautiful pool of polenta.
Polenta to accompany our Peposo
In the end, we decided to accompany our Peposo with instant polenta, which was easy and quick. All you need is:
- Instant Polenta
- Water
- Salt
- Butter
- Grated Parmigiano
Bring water to a boil, add salt to taste. Slowly sprinkle in the instant polenta, while constantly whisking to prevent lumps. Finish adding all the polenta flour and let that simmer until it thickens. Look at the recommended cooking time on the package.
Turn off heat, add a knob of butter and the finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Whisk until well incorporated.
Let's serve our Peposo!
Spoon a nice portion of the creamy polenta onto a plate. Place a good ladle of the Peposo in the middle. Now, grab a fork and let's eat. I love how the polenta enhances the Peposo. The beef is so tender it melts like butter on your tongue. The richness of the Chianti shines through in the sauce with some nice hints of warmth from the pepper and some earthiness from the herbs.
We absolutly love this dish. A perfect Sundy lunch or dinner dish that will have your family and friends feeling totally comforted and loved!
Don't forget to pour some good Chianti Classico wine to accompany this dish, a wonderful pairing of balance and harmony. This Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew is slow food at its finest, and every time we make it, it feels like we are bringing a piece of Tuscany to our kitchen and table.
Buon Appetito!
PrintPeposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine and Pepper Beef Stew
Peposo - Traditional Tuscan Red Wine & Pepper Beef Stew. A dish that warms you throughout with its rich and robust comforting flavors right down to the extreme tenderness. It is one of those rustic, few ingredient recipes that prove how magical Italian cooking can be when time does the work for you!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4 people 1x
- Category: Main, meat
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 650 g boneless short rib cut into bite-size chunks
- 3 tablespoon e.v.o. oil
- ¾ cup minced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic whole
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ bottle good quality Chianti red wine
- ½ cup beef stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Drizzle in 2 tablespoons evo oil into the cast pot, turn heat to high, toss in meat, season with salt and pepper, and brown the beef on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, scoop out the beef and place in a bowl. Drain the juices into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon evo oil in a wok or frying pan, turn on heat to a medium setting and toss in browned beef until you get some nice caramelization and crispness on the surface about 5 minutes.
- In the cast pot where you started the beef, drizzle in 2 tablespoon evo oil, toss in garlic, minced onion, and bay leaf. Let that caramelize for 5 minutes. Season with salt and plenty of pepper, and stir. Turn heat to a low-medium.
- Time to add the browned beef back in the cast pot. Give it all a good toss coating the meat with all the flavors.
- Add in ½ the bottle of the Chianti wine, stir and let the alchohol dissipate about 5 minutes. Spoon in your tomato paste, toss in the rosemary sprig, stir.
- In the wok add the juices you set aside and the beef stock. Turn heat to a high setting and let that render down a bit for about 10 minutes. Pour that into the cast pot with the meat and wine.
- Cover and simmer on low for 3-4 hours, checking on it occasionally and giving it a stir.
- Turn off heat and let cool a bit, then serve over a nice spooned round of creamy polenta.
Notes
- You could use different cuts of beef like the shank, chuck roast, or any good quality stewing beef.
- This recipe could be done in a slow cooker. Just do the first 7 steps in the pot, then pour it all into your slow cooker. Turn on low and cook for 4-6 hours.
- For the instant polenta recipe follow the instructions on the package. I add butter and grated Parmigiano at the end which gives it creaminess and flavor.
- Instead of the polenta, you can serve it with pappardelle, alongside mashed potatoes or potato puré, a light salad, or some crusty bread.
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
jp says
Beef broth and tomato paste are not traditional? Have you made it traditionally?
Hello, there are many different family variations in Tuscany. The last time I checked beef broth and tomato paste were Italian ingredients and we have had no complaints from any of our Italian family on this dish!