Beef Braised in Teroldego Wine

Fitness Guru's Note:

I found this recipe in an Italian magazine. I doubled the recipe and froze half and served the other. It was FANTASTIC!!! I could not find the wine they suggested so I used a bold, Italian red. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. If you need to impress company with your culinary talents, this recipe will do the trick.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 -3 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 teaspoon anise seed
• 4 juniper berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups red wine, preferably teroldego rotaliano
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 ounces unsmoked bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions:

1. Place meat, anise seeds, juniper berries and bay leaf in a large bowl; pour wine over the top. Marinate, refrigerated, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. Remove meat from marinade; pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Dust with flour. Strain marinade into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve; discard solids.
3. Heat oil in a wide 4- to 5-quart pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown meat on all sides, about 10 minutes total, reducing heat if necessary to prevent scorching. Transfer meat to a plate and drain excess oil from pot.
4. Return pot to medium-high heat. Add unsmoked bacon, onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add reserved marinade, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, water and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, then return meat and any accumulated juices to pot. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
5. Transfer meat to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes, then cut across the grain into ½-inch pieces.
6. Purée half of sauce, then return to pot. Return meat to sauce. Gently reheat before serving.
7. Note: Beef improves in flavor if made 3 days ahead. Cool completely in sauce, uncovered, then chill in sauce, covered. Reheat, covered, in a preheated 350° oven until hot, 25 to 30 minutes, then slice meat.

Reviews

[Mia in Germany]

This was plain fantstic! The anise seed gave a wonderfully subtle flavor which matched perfectly with the red wine. I didn't find the suggested wine either so used an Italian Merlot. Will definitely make this again! Thanks for posting! Made for PAC Spring 2010.