Preparing the Stracotto stew for Christmas Cappelletti is a big responsibility because expectations for the most anticipated meal of the year are always very high. This is how I prepared it to bring my whole family to the table… definitely feeling everyone’s eyes on me!
First of all, the stew should be prepared with three types of meat: beef, veal and pork. It’s a bit like doing no wrong to any of these meats, which at different times of the year brighten up our tables with extraordinary dishes.
As the name stracotto implies, the meat is cooked for such a long time that it falls apart simply by piercing it with a fork.
Once ready, the stew is blended or finely minced and the boiling cooking juices are used to wet the breadcrumbs that will be used to prepare the legendary Christmas Cappelletti, the meat-filled version of Anolini in broth.
And believe me, the type of filling is by no means an irrelevant matter! The tradition of eating one type of stuffing instead of the other is so ingrained that restaurants are obliged to put one or the other version on the menu according to boundaries dictated by custom, or else the menu would flop completely!
Here then is how to prepare Stracotto for fans and supporters of the meat version of this stuffed pasta, namely Cappelletti.
Stracotto for Christmas Cappelletti
negligible carbohydrates per 100g
Ingredients
- 350g beef
- 350g pork
- 300g veal
- 300g red wine
- 50g onions
- 50g carrots
- 30g celery
- 30g tomato paste
- 30 g butter
- 1/3 clove of garlic
- 3 cloves
- extra virgin olive oil
- water
- salt
Preparation
- Put the butter in a pan or earthenware casserole and melt it; add chopped onion, carrot and celery and brown it.
- Add the tomato paste and a third of a clove of chopped garlic, let the paste caramelise slightly, then place the three types of meat in the vegetable base, sealing the meat on all sides. Stick a clove into each piece of meat.
- Add the wine and pour in enough water to cover the meat, season with a pinch of salt, put the lid on and leave to cook on a low heat for at least 4 hours.
- After the time has elapsed, remove the cloves and add salt to taste. Remove the meat and put it in a food processor. Strain the cooking juices through a colander, add the remaining vegetable pieces in the colander to the meat in the processor and chop finely.
- Heat the liquid from the stew well and use it to scald the breadcrumbs of the Cappelleti filling.
Version with gluten of Stracotto for Christmas Cappelletti
The recipe contains only naturally gluten free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.
