Beer-Flavoured Beef Stew with Peas

Spezzatino di Manzo con Piselli, is a classic Italian Secondo Piatto, typical of wintertime, where beef chunks are slowly cooked in the broth becoming very tender.

However, we have moved away for a moment by replacing the classic preparation with white wine, with a full-bodied beer, double malt. Since beef has a strong taste, better to combine a beer with the same characteristics, so that neither flavour will cover the other and they will be perfectly balanced. You can also make it with veal or pork, as well as adding potatoes cut into chunks.

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Serves 4, Preparation 30 mins, Cooking approx. 1 hour and half

• Beef meat, 800 gr: muscle, flesh, neck, breast or brisket or ready-made beef chunks
• 3 tablespoons of 00 flour, AP Flour, Plain Flour
• 400 g fresh or bagged peas
• 250 ml hot meat broth
• 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery, to chop
• A tsp of tomato paste
• A glass of Double Malt beer
• 5 tbsp EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Make a soffritto by chopping onion, celery and carrot.

Cut beef meat into chunks of about 3 cm – unless you are using ready-made beef chunks.
Flour them, shake off the excess flour.

Heat 5 tablespoons of EVOO, add the chopped onion, carrot and celery, stir-fry for a few minutes, add the floured beef chunks browning well on all sides, high flame. Stir continuously. As soon as the meat is golden brown, add beer and cover the beef completely, let the alchool evaporate, then cover with a lid and let it cook for about 5 mins.

Pour in the hot broth, add a pinch of salt and black pepper, add tomato paste, stir and let everything simmer gently for about an hour and half, keeping it covered with the lid.

Tip: check it from time to time and stir to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to make sure that the broth hasn’t dried out too much, in this case just add more broth, always hot.

At the end of cooking, remove the lid, add peas and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. The peas should not disintegrate, so check whether 10-15 minutes is enough time.

Leave to rest for a few minutes and serve.

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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