Biba's Northern Italian Cooking - Biba Caggiano [59]
Drain beef, reserving marinade. Dry beef with paper towels. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with oil in a large, heavy casserole over medium heat. When butter foams, add beef and brown on all sides. Remove beef from casserole.
Add onion, carrot and celery to casserole. Sauté until lightly browned. Return beef to casserole. Pour reserved marinade through a strainer over meat. Cover casserole and reduce heat. Simmer 2 to 2½ hours or until beef is tender; turn and baste beef often during cooking.
Wash and dry mushrooms thoroughly and slice thin. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet. Sauté mushrooms over high heat until golden. Add mushrooms to casserole and cook 5 minutes longer.
Place beef on a cutting board and cool 5 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook uncovered over high heat 5 to 10 minutes. Slice beef and arrange on a warm platter. Taste and adjust sauce for seasoning, then spoon over beef. Serve immediately.
BEEF GOULASH
Gulasch di Manzo
This Trentino-Alto Adige dish has an Austrian influence because Alto Adige was once part of Austria.
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 cup Chicken Broth, page 23, or canned chicken broth
3 pounds beef chuck
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian-style or whole tomatoes
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon dried leaf marjoram
½ teaspoon crushed dried bay leaves
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Prepare Chicken Broth. Cut beef into 1½- to 2-inch cubes. Melt butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. When butter foams, add onions. Sauté until pale yellow. Add vinegar and paprika. Cook, stirring, until vinegar has evaporated. Add beef. Brown lightly on all sides.
Stir in tomatoes, garlic, marjoram, bay leaves, lemon zest, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover skillet and reduce heat. Simmer 1½ to 2 hours or until beef is tender; stir occasionally during cooking. Serve hot.
Vegetables
The Etruscans belonged to an ancient civilization that lived in northern Italy. Their love of the soil and knowledge of irrigation and fertilization made them devoted and expert farmers.The Romans inherited this love of the land from the Etruscans.They developed and enjoyed many new varieties of vegetables. Since then, agriculture has been one of Italy’s national resources. Maybe that is why Italians cook vegetables better than anyone else. Their farmers have been growing vegetables longer and their produce is some of the world’s finest.
One of the extraordinary sights in an Italian open market is its vegetable stalls. There you will find colorful mounds of vegetables and fruit still fresh from the farmer’s patch. The Italian cook inspects all this abundance with a critical eye. She touches, smells, compares and sometimes bargains. Satisfied with her purchase, she goes home to cook the freshest possible produce.
In an Italian meal, vegetables are always present. Many times meat is omitted from a family meal in favor of one or two types of vegetables.
In selecting fresh vegetables, look for bright colors and shiny skins without bruises.A good vegetable should be firm to the touch. When selecting zucchini or string beans, choose the smallest available. Asparagus should be bright green with compact tips. Choose broccoli with tender but firm stalks and no signs of yellow flowers within the buds. Carrots should be bright orange, small and smooth. Avoid cauliflowers with blemishes and look for a compact head. Eggplants are best if they are not too large, have firm flesh and bright-green leaves. Always select mushrooms with tightly closed caps.
Use your vegetables as soon as possible after purchase to take advantage of their freshness.
Vegetables are at their best when undercooked. Prolonged cooking will result in vitamin and texture loss.Vitamin-packed vegetables are essential to good nutrition.
To serve a meal without a vegetable is almost