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Chianti Beef Stew #ItalianFWT

 We loved this one-pot stew created with inspiration from Italian beef stew recipes we found across the internet. Made with chunks of prime beef, this stew is loaded with veggies and flavored with Chianti.


We are sharing our favorite braised foods paired with Italian wines on Italian Food Wine Travel this month.  We are hosted by Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  She chose our theme of Italian wines with braised foods.


The list of bloggers participating is listed below. Come and find out more on our monthly Twitter Chat tomorrow at 11 AM ET.  Use the hashtag #ItalianFWT to find us.

We've made this beef stew before using a French wine, but we knew that a Chianti would be a good replacement.  We chose this bottle of Chianti from Aldi, as we have had it before and find it a great cooking and drinking wine.  It's called The Adventure Series and is bottled by Aldi.  The wine is sourced from vineyards in the Chianti DOCG region of Tuscany.  This bottle is a 2018 wine and has the highest classification.  This is very comparable to the wines Italians drink every day.




The color is a pretty cherry red, transparent, with black highlights. The nose consists of cherry, spices and herbs.  It is a medium body dry red.  The taste is black berry fruit, black pepper and a sharp tannin. This makes the wine feel rustic.  

For us this was the perfect cooking wine for this beef stew.  At $5 a bottle, it is also very drinkable with delivery pizza!

And as for braising... Wikipedia describes it like this:  Braising is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some amount of liquid.


Yield: 8
Author: Terri Steffes
Chianti Beef Stew

Chianti Beef Stew

A delicious beef stew marinated in Chianti.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 Hourinactive time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 4 H & 40 M

Ingredients

  • 3.5  lb beef brisket, cut into 1-2" pieces
  • 1 bottle Chianti (750 ml)
  • 4 T olive oil, divided
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 oz bacon, cut into 1/4 in pieces
  • 4 carrots, cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 onion, cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 smashed and peeled garlic cloves
  • 1/4 c pitted kalamata olives
  • 4 medium potatoes, quartered
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 t rubbed sage
  • 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 4 c beef broth

Instructions

  1. Place the beef in a glass bowl. Pour the wine over the meat and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the wine and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve the wine.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Using tongs, place the meat in the pan and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each side. Remove the meat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, olives, potatoes, rosemary, and sage. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour the reserved wine, the tomatoes, and beef broth into the pan, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom with a wooden spoon. Return the meat to the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
  4. Remove the rosemary sprigs from the stew before serving.

Notes:

Even better on the second day!

We use bacon because it is easy to find, but of course, pancetta can be used instead.


Did you make this recipe?
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Would you like to comment?

  1. That bowl of goodness has my mouth watering, Terri. Thanks for joining the #ItalianFWT event this month. Chianti was the first wine I ever loved. And whenever I see it mentioned, I just swoon with nostalgia.

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  2. A DOCG Chianti for $5?! That's remarkable! Always a great idea to bridge the wine used in a dish like to the the wine in your glass!

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  3. The stew sounds amazing! Just perfect for cold weather comfort food.

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  4. $5 a bottle. I have never been in a Aldi's but they recently opened one in a neighboring town and I am definitely going to check it out and be on the lookout for this wine. Thanks for the tip Terri.

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  5. I've been skeptical of supermarket-branded wine, but this one sounds like it's worth checking out. And that stew! What a lot of delicious goodness.

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  6. This stew sounds (and looks!) delicious. I like the pairing with Chianti Classico too. Cheers!

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  7. Now I have a reason to stop by Aldi and check out their wine selection! And your pairing sounds perfect for February dining - heartwarming and delicious.

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  8. Looks like a comforting and delicious pairing. Yum!

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