Best Italian Braised Beef Recipes

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.

ITALIAN STEW: WINE BRAISED BEEF OVER CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Add only enough beef to cover the bottom of the pan without crowding. Brown on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer beef to bowl using slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining beef, in batches, until all the beef is browned and transferred to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and Italian parsley to Dutch oven and cook until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Return beef to Dutch oven and stir to coat with onion and spice mixture. Add red wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer mixture 15 minutes. Add beef stock and simmer 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Mix in olives and rosemary. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until beef is tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add bell peppers, cover and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) POLENTA 9 c Water 1 1/2 tsp Salt 2 c Cornmeal Bring water and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Continue whisking until mixture boils and thickens, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cook cornmeal until thick and thoroughly cooked, whisking occasionally, about 30 minutes. (Can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Transfer polenta to metal bowl. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set bowl over large saucepan of barely-simmering water. Stir occasionally.) To Serve: Bring beef to simmer, stirring occasionally. Spoon polenta into shallow soup bowls. Spoon beef over.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF WITH GARLIC AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Combine the mushrooms and boiling water in a small bowl and let stand for 20 minutes.
• With the fingers, scoop the mushrooms out of the liquid.
• Strain the mushroom soaking liquid through a fine-meshed sieve and set aside.
• Coarsely chop the mushrooms.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the mushrooms, soaking liquid, tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, carrots, celery, garlic, brown sugar, oregano, salt and pepper in a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Add the meat to the pan and return to the boil.
• Cover, place in the oven, and bake until the meat is tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
• Slice the meat and serve with the vegetables and sauce.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS WITH GNOCCHI

Steps:

• 1. Combine tomato spread, 1 tsp Parma Rosa sauce mix, and Italian seasoning; coat ribs with tomato mixture. 2. Place ribs in slow cooker with onions, one-half of the broth, and one-half of the pasta sauce; cook on HIGH 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. 3. Skim any excess fat from meat mixture. Whisk remaining broth, pasta sauce, and Parma Rosa sauce mix until blended; add to slow cooker. Stir in gnocchi; cook 8-10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve.

BRAISED BEEF AND PASTA WITH ITALIAN MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. 1. Sprinkle beef steaks with salt and pepper; press 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese onto steaks. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot; brown steaks. Remove.
• 2. 2. Spray skillet with cooking spray again; heat over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.
• 3. 3. Add wine; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in marinara sauce. Add steaks; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until beef is fork-tender.
• 4. 4. Carve steaks. Serve beef and 2 cups sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Pass remaining sauce.

BRAISED ITALIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
• Place it in a wide, deep baking pan (like a turkey roaster).
• Preheat the broiler, and put the rack 4" from the heat, or enough room to allow for the pan.
• Put the meat under the broiler and leave the door ajar so the element stays lit.
• Broil for about 15 min, or until a deep brown.
• Turn it over, and broil for 5 min more.
• As the meat cooks, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion, celery, and carrot.
• Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 min, or until softened. If the vegetables begin to burn or stick, turn the heat down.
• Add the garlic to the softened vegetables.
• Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally for another 3-4 minute.
• Scrape the softened vegetables into the pan with the browned meat.
• Add the wine (or beef broth), tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf.
• Heat oven to 300ºF.
• Cover the pan with foil, and crimp it tightly.
• Bake for 3 hours.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and remove the meat to a serving platter.
• Remove and discard the bay leaf from the sauce.
• Put the sauce into a blender (or use a hand held immersion blender) to blend the liquid and vegetables into a smooth sauce.
• Cover the meat with the sauce and serve.
• Serve with mashed potatoes. Leftovers freeze well.
• **NOTE: For a GREAT leftover dish. Shred the leftover roast in a skillet with the leftover sauce (like BBQ pork/beef) with two forks. It is easier to do when the roast is warmed. Serve this over the pasta of your choice, we like fettuccine.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• With the rack in the middle position, preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a saucepan (ovenproof) or dutch oven, brown the beef on each side in half of the oil. Add salt and pepper. Set aside on a plate.
• In a bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in chicken stock. Set aside.
• In the same saucepan, brown shallots and garlic in the remaining oil.
• Add tomatoes, tomato paste and keep cooking about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock mixture and bring to a boil while stirring. Put the beef back in the saucepan and add remaining ingredients.
• Cover and cook in oven about 4 hours or until meat shread easily with a fork.
• Note: If you want to do it in the crockpot do step 1 to 4. Then on step 5, put all ingredients in crockpot. Cover and cook at low heat 8 hours.

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET, SOUTHERN ITALIAN STYLE RECIPE

Steps:

• INSTRUCTIONS 1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Crush spices or grind them coarsely; press them into brisket and set aside 2. Using two burners if necessary, heat oil in large, heavy roasting pan long and wide enough to hold brisket and at least 2 inches deep. Add brisket; cook over medium-high heat, turning once with tongs, until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove brisket and set aside. Add wine; bring to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen brown bits; reduce by half. Add chicken broth and tomatoes; bring to simmer. Remove pan from heat. Season brisket lightly with salt, dried rosemary and oregano and return to roasting pan. Scatter vegetables and pancetta or bacon around brisket. 3. Put roasting pan in oven and cook, stirring vegetables occasionally to avoid burning, until thickest part of brisket reaches an internal temperature of around 130 degrees, about 20 minutes. Add enough broth to the pan to come about halfway up the side of the meat (another 1 to 3 cups). 4. Remove pan from oven; reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees. Do not return brisket to oven until temperature drops to 250 degrees. Add enough chicken stock to pan so that liquid comes about halfway up side of meat, baste brisket, and return to oven. Braise brisket, basting and turning every 1/2 hour or so, until meat just gives when pierced with meat thermometer and brisket's internal temperature registers around 175 degrees, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. 5. Remove brisket from braising liquid and wrap in foil. Strain braising liquid into large mixing bowl. Reserve vegetables, squeezing garlic cloves from heads. Transfer braising liquid to tall, narrow container, and let stand until fat rises. Skim and discard fat. Puree vegetables, including garlic, with 1/2 cup braising liquid in food processor or blender. Add olives, pureed vegetables and braising liquid to a sauté pan and simmer until reduced to thin sauce consistency; 15 to 20 minutes. 6. Meanwhile, cut brisket across the grain into thin slices (about 1/8-inch thick). Arrange slices of meat on warm plates; generously ladle sauce over meat. Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

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.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• Brown chuck roast with olive oil in a Dutch oven or large oven safe pan on stove top.
• Remove roast from pan and add all other ingredients.
• Stir and bring to a simmer.
• Return roast to pan, cover with lid and place in preheated oven.
• Cook for 6-8 hours or until meat starts to fall apart.
• Strain juice from pan and shred beef and peppers.
• Move reserved juice to another sauce pan bring to boil and reduce by half.
• Add reduced sauce to beef and peppers and serve.
• Can be served over pasta ,polenta or as is with Italian bread and Parmesan cheese. Also makes a tasty sandwich, use a good crusty sub roll.

RED WINE-BRAISED ITALIAN-SPICED BEEF

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 325F. Combine fennel seeds, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in small cup, rub over beef. Heat large nonreactive Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil, heat until hot. Brown beef 5-6 minute, turning to brown on all sides. 2. Add onions to Dutch oven, cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high, add red wine. Bring to boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Boil 1 minute, stir in tomato sauce. Return beef and any accumulated juices to pan; stir in bell peppers. Place round of parchment paper directly on beef and wine mixture. Cover; bring to a boil. 3. Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until beef is tender. Remove beef, cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, skim off and discard any fat that rises to the top of the cooking liquid. To thicken pan juices, bring to a boil over high heat; boil 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve beef with pan juices, sprinkle with parsley.

ITALIAN BRAISED BEEF WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• 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 the 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.