This simple beef stew – beef, cooked slowly in a few spices, olive oil and wine – is prepared all over Tuscany. I’ve enjoyed it several times during our farewell dinner in Montalcino on our Walk the Wine Roads of Tuscany tour. The dish supposedly originated over 500 years ago in the town of Impruneta, a hilltop town outside of Florence. Impruneta is famous for its terracotta, intensely red in color and resistant to frost.
In the early 1400s, the wealthy city of Florence finally began its long overdue construction project – the building of a cupola over its Santa Maria del Fiore duomo. The roof had remained open, exposing the interior of the cathedral to the elements, since its construction over 100 years earlier, as it was to be the largest dome on earth and no architect knew how to build such a structure. In 1420, Filippo Brunelleschi had finally managed to convince the city fathers that his double dome scheme, an inner dome supporting the outer cupola, would work, and construction commenced under his supervision. He personally oversaw every aspect of the project, including frequent visits to Impruneta, chosen to produce the red tiles that would cover the exterior of the cupola.
The fornacini or kiln workers labored long hours. To fuel themselves, after the daily final firing of the kiln the workers would put a large pot filled with stew meat, simple seasonings and olive oil inside the kiln, where it would simmer gently for much of the day. The dish the workers prepared for themselves while firing the terracotta tiles was what Florentines today refer to as peposo alla fornacina. According to local legend, Brunelleschi is said to have fallen in love with the dish on his visits to Impruneta. I certainly have!
Peposo alla Fornacina – Traditional Tuscan Beef Stew
Serves 6
2 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into large chunks
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig sage
2 tablespoons Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic. minced
1 bottle Chianti or other Tuscan wine
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Lay the stew chunks on a sheet pan and salt well. Place the meat in an earthenware or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Wrap the peppercorns and cloves in a cheesecloth sachet. Add the peppercorn sachet, oil, and garlic to the pot. Add the wine, which should just barely cover the beef. Stir to combine.
Cover and roast in the preheated oven. Check occasionally to be sure the pot has not dried out. If the liquid evaporates, add small amounts of water as necessary.
Roast until the meat is tender enough that it falls apart when you pierce it with a fork, about 4 hours. Remove from the oven and place on the stovetop over medium heat. Cook until the cooking liquid has reduced to a thick sauce. Remove and discard the sachet and any large remains of the rosemary and sage sprigs.
Serve with plenty of unsalted Tuscan bread and the local Tuscan wine – at home, a Chianti, but in Montalcino, on a celebratory occasion, a Brunello!
