Brasato al Vino Rosso with Montefalco #ItalianFWT

Beef braised until it is fork tender in red wine and aromatics.  This is comfort food at it's best.

I made this meal to pair with a wonderful Italian wine from Montefalco.  Join us this month as our Italian Food, Wine and Travel group serves up bio dynamic wines.

Gwendolyn of Wine Predator sent out an "Invitation to Investigate Italian Viticulture".  Gwendolyn originally wanted us to only showcase bio dynamic wines however this proved problematic as not all vineyards are able to get the certification even while practicing this holistic view of viticulture.  

They are impeded by many things but the smaller vineyards, especially, have a hard time with the expense of getting certified.  They love their work and they strive to create wines from grapes that are organic, sustainable and earth friendly they are not certified.  Much like small organic farms here in the USA.

I went onto wine.com to find a bio dynamic wine from Italy.  The agent who helped me suggested a bottle that was not certified but knew the vineyard practiced bio dynamic farming.  I ordered it up.

Then, a funny coincidence occurred.  My wine that I had ordered for last month's event featuring wines from Umbria, was delayed due to extremely cold weather conditions.  The wine from Arnaldo-Caprai  arrived too late for me to use for February's post.  When it did arrive, lo and behold...look what I found.....

That little green seal means that this bottle is certified bio dynamic.  I went off to research Arnaldo-Caprai.    They have a full section on their blog dealing with sustainability.  It is obvious how important this is to them.  

They say of their sustainability project:

"For many years the company Arnaldo Caprai has committed itself to enhancing and maintaining intact and vital characteristics typical of the territory of Montefalco, knowing how to compete over time in a condition of sustainability. The same environmental, economic and social sustainability that found full representation in the Montefalco 2015 project: The New Green Revolution, the first territorial sustainability protocol in the wine sector."

 Needless to say, I  had found my wine for this month's event.  Now to find a food pairing.

I decided to make a pot roast braised in red wine.  I had a round bone roast in my freezer.  Perfect for a nice slow braise.  Now sometimes I make pot roast in my slow cooker and sometimes I use my instant pot.  I have even made it in foil.

But my favorite way to make pot roast is on a lazy Sunday when there is nothing going on and you can place it in your Dutch Oven and let it cook away for hours while you enjoy some family time.

This recipe calls for rendering some bacon until crisp, removing the bacon and using the drippings to sear the roast before braising.  That is completely optional but lends a great depth of flavor.  You can just sear it in olive oil if you don't have or eat bacon.

After braising the pot roast is so tender that you just serve it up in chunks.  It is a homey, casual, comforting meal.  The roast is braised in red wine.  You can use the wine you are serving for dinner or you can use a less expensive bottle.  Just make sure that it is a bottle that you would drink and enjoy.  In this case, I used some wine from my Black Box, that is always on my counter.

The pairing was just lovely.  The wine poured a deep garnet and smelled of berries and spice.  It is a blend of Sangiovese mixed with Sangrantino and Merlot.  It is a soft wine and I can see it pairing very nicely with many different dishes.  It was very food friendly and at a price of $22 affordable enough to be enjoyed alone, yet nice enough to serve to guests at a fancy dinner party.

This recipe made enough to feed 3 of us a hearty dinner with beef left for pot pie later in the week.  YUM!!

#beefroast, #braised,

Entrees, Beef, Braising

American

Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Wendy KlikPin it

Brasato al Vino Rosso

prep time: 15 minscook time: 4 hourtotal time: 4 hours and 15 mins

Beef braised until it is fork tender in red wine and aromatics. This is comfort food at it's best.

ingredients:

• 1 (3-4 lb) pot roast
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 slices thick cut bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, scraped and chunked
• 2 ribs celery, cut into chunks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 2 c. dry red wine
• 2 c. beef broth 

instructions:

1. Season the roast with salt and pepper.  Set aside to come to room temperature.
2. Place the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped.
3. Place a dutch oven over med high heat.  Add the bacon and cook until bacon is crisp and fat is rendered.  Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside.  Drain excess bacon drippings leaving approx. 2 T. in the pot.
4. Sear the roast on both sides in the bacon grease until browned.  Remove to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot.  Cook and stir, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until vegetables are tender and starting to brown, 7-10 minutes.  
6. Stir in thyme and rosemary.  Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring to coat the vegetables.  
7. Add the wine and bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring occasionally until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.   Stir in the beef broth.
8. Return the roast and any accumulated juices to the pot along with the bacon bits.  Cover the pot and place in a preheated 325* oven for 3-4 hrs.

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Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm

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This morning, the Italian Food Wine Travel group of influential bloggers are investigating Italian Viticulture.  Blogs are posted by 11 AM ET, and from 11-Noon we'll be discussing what we learned on twitter using the hashtag #ItalianFWT. Read the invitation post here.

• • Jill Barth of L’Occasion: "Gravner: 'Nature As A Source Of Thought'"
  • Camilla M. Mann: "Dinner in Testosterone Land: Braised Short Ribs + 2016 Nuova Cappelletta Barbera del Monferrato" on Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Wendy Klik: "Brasato al Vino Rosso with Montefalco" on A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Jeff Burrows: "Looking Beyond Biodynamic Certification at Cantina di Filippo" at Food Wine Click!
  • Lauren Walsh, The Swirling Dervish: "The Wines of Alois Lageder: Cultivating Nature as a Habitat of Life."
  • Nicole Ruiz Hudson is Cooking to the Wine: "Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Sicilia Rosso with Creamy Eggplant and Tomato Zoodles"
  • Jennifer Gentile Martin: "The Organic Wines of Abruzzo with La Valentina" on Vino Travels.
  • Susannah Gold of Avvinare: “Chianti without sulfites- the wines of Fattoria Lavacchio”
  • David Crowley of Cooking Chat: "Mushroom and Short Rib Ragu with Sono Montenidoli"
  • Lynne Gowdy of Savor the Harvest: The Important Thing You Don’t Know About Italian Wine Labels
  • Host Gwendolyn Alley the Wine Predator: "La Maliosa Biodynamic Procanico and a Pasta Bar with Uni and Mussels"