Barolo Braised Beef with Polenta — Brasato al Barolo
The Piedmontese benchmark — beef chuck slow-braised in a Barolo wine with carrot, celery, onion, and warm spices, until the wine reduces to a dark velvet sauce served with creamy polenta.
Italian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Place beef chuck in a non-reactive bowl with onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, cloves, and Barolo. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, lift out beef and pat dry. Strain marinade into two containers—keep wine and vegetables separate.
Sear
Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides 8 minutes total until deeply coloured. Lift out and set aside.
Saute
Reduce heat to medium. Add strained vegetables to the pot, cook 10 minutes until softened and starting to colour. Stir in tomato paste and cinnamon, cook 1 minute until darkened.
Braise
Return beef to the pot. Pour in strained wine, bring to a simmer, and reduce 5 minutes to drive off harsh alcohol. Add 300ml beef stock, bring back to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to lowest setting, cook 2 hours 45 minutes, turning beef every 30 minutes until fork-tender.
Reduce
Lift beef onto a plate, cover loosely with foil. Discard rosemary stems, bay leaves, and cloves. Pass sauce through a sieve, pressing vegetables to extract all flavour. Return sauce to pot, reduce 5 minutes over medium heat to a glossy gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Boil
While the sauce reduces, bring 600ml water to a simmer with 0.5 tsp salt. Whisk in polenta in a steady stream. Reduce heat to low, cook 30 minutes, stirring often until creamy. Stir in 20g butter and 40g Parmigiano Reggiano.
Plate
Slice beef across the grain into 1cm slices. Spoon polenta onto warm plates. Lay beef slices alongside. Spoon Barolo sauce generously over the meat. Serve immediately.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.