Italian Pot Roast

A few weeks ago my mother and I attended a cooking demonstration by our local celebrity Italian chef, the delightful Biba Caggiano. We Sacramentans are proud to call Biba our own; she has a fabulous restaurant, is the author of several cookbooks, and for a while hosted her own cooking show on the Discovery Channel.

One of the recipes Biba demonstrated during our evening with her was her “Stracotto di Manzo alla Fiorentina” or “The Braised Beef of Florence”. Biba, in her typical down-to-earth manner called it “nothing more than a glorified pot roast”.

It’s a simple and delicious recipe, much like our standard pot roast but with a soffritto base, the addition of tomatoes, and a whole bottle of wine.

Italian Pot Roast Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 to 4 pound rump or chuck beef roast
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large carrot, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large celery stalk, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium red onion, diced (1 to 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
• 3 cups medium-bodied Italian red wine (we used a Barbera)
• 1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, put through a food mill to remove the seeds

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