peposo ⋘ recipes.genehack.org

Adapted from a combination “Peposo alla Fornacina”, “Peposo – Tuscan Red Wine Beef Stew”, “Peposo”, and “Peposo (Peppery Tuscan Beef Stew)”.

I was inspired to search out these recipes by the description of peposo in Bill Buford’s “Heat: An Amateur‘s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany”.

Equipment

• chef‘s knife
• cutting board
• mortar and pestle (or other way to crush peppercorns)
• 5.5 qt Dutch oven
• wooden spoon or spatula

Ingredients

Staples

• EVOO
• black peppercorns
• garlic
• salt

To Buy

• 2-3 pounds of beef shank
• (at least) 2 bottles of a decent Chianti

Prep

1. Start oven heating to 325°F
2. Peel the cloves from a head of garlic, trimming any bad spots and the top and bottom of the cloves
3. Cut the calf shank into approximately 1” cubes — follow the connective tissues in the meat as much as possible
4. Weigh out 15-20 grams of peppercorns and crush them thoroughly
5. Add a few glugs of EVOO to the Dutch oven
6. Season the meat well with kosher salt

Cook

1. Put the Dutch oven on medium stovetop heat
2. Brown the meat well on all sides in the Dutch oven — may need to be done in multiple batches — and move to a plate
3. Add the crushed pepper to the remaining oil in the Dutch oven and sauté for approximately 30 seconds
4. Turn heat to high
5. Add one bottle of wine to Dutch oven
6. Deglaze any pot fond with the wine and a wooden spoon or spatula
7. Reduce heat to low
8. Return meat and any juices to Dutch oven
9. Add garlic to Dutch oven, nestling into the meat
10. If meat is not fully covered, add additional wine to cover
11. Cover pot and move to oven to braise for 3-4 hours
12. Meat is done when tender — wine should reduce into a thin sauce
13. If a thicker sauce is desired, it can be reduced further on the stove top — be careful not to dry out the meat

Notes

• This paired well with sautéed spinach and baguette for speading garlic.