TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Spezzatino di Manzo con PatateBeef and Potato Stew
A weekend staple in Italian homes. Spezzatino means meat cut into small pieces. Braise in white wine and tomato for 2 hours, then add potatoes for a thick finish. It requires no difficult technique, but time creates the savor.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Beef chuck or shin, cubedCut into 3–4 cm cubes.700 g
- Potatoes (May Queen or Kita Akari)Cut into large bite-sized pieces. Choose a variety that holds together in simmering.500 g
- Canned whole peeled tomatoesCrush by hand.400 g
- OnionFinely chopped1 piece
- CarrotCut into 1 cm rounds.1 piece
- CeleryThinly sliced1 stalk
- Dry white wine150 ml
- Beef or chicken brothCommercial consommé may substitute.300 ml
- Rosemary2 sprigs
- Cake flourCoat the meat to develop savor and help the sauce cling.30 g
- Extra virgin olive oil40 ml
Method
Cut the ingredients
- 1 Cut 700 g beef shoulder into 3–4 cm cubes.
- 2 Cut 500 g potatoes into large bite-sized pieces.
- 3 Finely chop the onion, cut carrot into 1 cm rounds and thinly slice celery.
Flour the meat
- 1 Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- 2 Coat all over with 30 g flour and shake off excess.
Brown the meat
- 1 Heat 40 ml olive oil in a heavy pot over high heat.
- 2 Brown the beef deeply on all sides in several batches and remove.
Ready when
Remove once all sides are deeply golden.
Caution
Adding all at once lowers the temperature; brown in batches.
Cook the soffritto
- 1 Sauté the soffritto of onion, carrot and celery in the same pot over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- 2 Pour in 150 ml white wine and reduce for 3 minutes, dissolving browned deposits from the bottom.
Ready when
Continue when the wine reduces by half.
Braise beef and potatoes
- 1 Return the beef.
- 2 Add 400 g whole tomatoes crushed by hand, 300 ml broth and rosemary.
- 3 Cover and braise over low heat for 2 hours.
Ready when
Continue when the meat falls apart with a fork.
Add potatoes and finish
- 1 Add 500 g potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes.
- 2 Adjust salt.
Ready when
The stew is ready when the potatoes are cooked and the sauce is thick and flowing.
About this dish
Spezzatino means cut into small pieces. Made almost weekly in homes from northern to central Italy, it is a Sunday-table staple. It needs no difficult technique, but its time cannot be omitted.
The first stage is thoroughly browning beef shoulder or shin. Without it, the sauce lacks depth. Browning through the Maillard reaction creates complex savor, not merely color. Scraping up the fond left at the bottom after browned meat meets white wine develops the sauce's flavor.
Italian families also call spezzatino a Monday dish. A large pot made for Sunday lunch deepens further on reheating the following day, embodying northern and central Italy's braising culture. Herbs and vegetables vary by region, and there are as many methods as household kitchens, as befits a dish with a long domestic history.
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