Pastissada de Caval:
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds (1 kg) "meat", cut from the rump, or beef if you must -0 (too fatty in comparison)
2 sticks celery
2-3 carrots
1 large onion
4 cloves
A dozen coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
2 ounces (50 g) lard or porkback fat
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bottle full bodied, dry red wine - Purists call for Reiciotto Amarone or Valpolicella Superiore, but a less expensive red will work just as well
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter kneaded in flour
Flour
Paprika to taste (2-3 tablesoons, not too strong)
Preparation:
Lard the meat with the lard and slivers of carrots. Dice the other vegetables and put them with the meat and the spices except the paprika in a bowl; pour the wine over everything, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for three days, turning the meat occasionally.
Pat the meat dry (reserve the vegetables and the marinade), flour it, and brown it in the oil, in a pot over a brisk flame. Add the vegetables, and when they've cooked for a few minutes, pour the marinade over the meat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about three hours. Once the meat is done, remove it to a platter and blend the sauce.
Return the sauce to the fire, thicken it with the butter-flour ball, and season it to taste with paprika. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve, with polenta and the side dishes you prefer.
The wine? Amarone or Valpolicella Superiore, or a Cabernet-Merlot blend along the lines of Valcalepio, perhaps a deep Barolo?
Sounds rather good, actually.
Enjoy.