Italian Braised Beef And Veal With Tomato Gravy Food

ITALIAN TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden (but not overly brown.) Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot; cook for 5 minutes until they breakdown and are soft. Deglaze with red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol. Hand crush the canned tomatoes and add to the pot, along with its liquid. Add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity from the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

BRAISED BEEF AND VEAL WITH TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Cut beef and veal into 2-inch pieces. Combine flour and rustic rub in a small bowl. Working with 1 piece at a time, lightly coat meat with seasoned flour, then gently pound meat to 1/4 inch thick with flat side of a meat pounder, turning meat over occasionally.
• Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté all meat, stirring constantly and turning over, until evenly and lightly browned on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom and side of pot, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and side of pot, 3 minutes. Add bay leaves, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, cayenne, black pepper, broth, and wine, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Discard bay leaves and stir scallions and parsley into grillades. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• For Yia Yia's Sunday sauce: Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan or large Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the beef bones. Add the onions and cook until translucent, 2 minutes. Add the salt and garlic and cook until everything is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Squeeze the tomatoes one by one into the pan, pulverizing them by hand, and pour in their juice, too. Add the wine, oregano, red pepper flakes, if using, black pepper and bay leaf. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting, and continue to cook for 8 hours. The sauce should reduce by about one-third. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove the bones and bay leaf. Set aside 2 cups. If not using the remaining sauce right away, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. Yield: 8 cups.
• For the braised beef with root vegetables: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and pepper as much as 1 day in advance. (Cover and refrigerate it if doing so and take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. When the oil is on the verge of smoking, sear the meat for about 2 minutes per side. Move the meat to the side (or remove it from the pot altogether if necessary), and add the carrots, celery root and onions. Brown the vegetables for about 3 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Add Yia Yia's Sunday Sauce, 1 cup water and the bay leaves (and the pot roast if you removed it). Bring the liquid to a simmer and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 3 hours, basting the meat occasionally during cooking time. When almost ready to serve, make the rigatoni, if using. Boil in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and slice into bite-size pieces, or shred with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot of sauce along with the drained rigatoni. Toss to coat, and serve.

BEEF WITH TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Combine the flour with the seasoned salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Light coat the beef cubes with the flour mixture.
• Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until hot.
• Brown the beef on all sides; remove to a bowl.
• Add in onion, celery, thyme and oregano; cook stirring and scraping down the browned bits.
• Add in the garlic and dried red pepper flakes (if using) saute for 1 minute.
• Add in tomatoes, bay leaves, consomme, Worcestershire sauce and wine.
• Return the beef back to the pot.
• Season with pepper.
• Cover and simmer on top of the stove until the beef is very tender (about 2 hours).
• Serve with cooked noodles and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

EASY BEEF LIVER WITH ONION AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat.
• Add tomato, onion and basil. Season well and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Dredge liver in flour.
• Melt remaining butter in frying pan over low heat and cook liver 3 minutes and turn over and season with salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Serve with the tomato and onion mixture on top.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF AND VEAL WITH TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Cut beef and veal into 2-inch pieces. Combine flour and rustic rub in a small bowl. Working with 1 piece at a time, lightly coat meat with seasoned flour, and then gently pound meat to 1/4 inch thick with flat side of a meat pounder, turning meat over occasionally. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté all meat, stirring constantly and turning over, until evenly and lightly browned on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom and side of pot, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and side of pot, 3 minutes. Add bay leaves, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, cayenne, black pepper, broth, and wine, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve over Parmesan polenta or white steam rice. Cooks' note: To peel a tomato, first cut an X in the bottom and immerse in boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer to ice water, then remove and peel.

BRAISED ITALIAN-STYLE POT ROAST

Steps:

• To prepare the sacchétto di spezie:
• Combine all the ingredients in the center of a piece of cheesecloth that is large enough to hold the herb sprigs, and tie in a bundle with butcher's string.
• To prepare the pot roast:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 2. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then lightly dust with flour. Melt the butter in a large (6-quart) flameproof casserole set over medium-high heat. When it is foaming, add the beef and brown it on all sides, 5 minutes. Add the celery, onions, carrot, and sacchétto di spezie. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the bottle of wine. Cook until the wine begins to boil, about 2 more minutes, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
• 3. Strain the porcini mushrooms through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water to remove any grit, and add them to the casserole along with the strained mushroom liquid, tomato paste, and tomatoes. The liquid should just cover the meat. If it does not, add chicken broth or water. Cover the casserole and bake it in the oven until the meat is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours. Remove the meat from the casserole to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and set aside.
• 4. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the vegetables and herb bag. Pour the broth back into the casserole and set it over high heat. Bring to a boil and add the arrowroot and the 1/4 cup wine. Cook to reduce and thicken the liquid, about 5 minutes. Carve the meat into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately, spooning some of the broth over each portion.

OVEN-BRAISED BEEF WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Coarsely chop tomatoes with juice in a food processor. Put roast in an ovenproof 4- to 5-quart heavy pot or a casserole dish with a lid. Pour tomatoes over roast and scatter garlic around it. Season with salt and pepper. Braise in middle of oven, covered, until very tender, 3 to 4 hours.
• Cut roast into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with sauce and garlic.

ITALIAN BEEF OR VEAL STEW

Steps:

• In a 6 quart pot, brown the meat with the onions in oil.
• Add the mushrooms, and cook until the juices start to run.
• Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, wine and bay leaf to the pot and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the carrots, potatoes and just enough boiling water to cover the vegetables.
• Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about another 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are almost tender.
• Add the green beans and a bit more boiling water if necessary to cover the green beans.
• Continue cooking over medium low heat until all vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, stir well.
• Serve with a good crusty bread.