Peposo

The weather is shitty, it's rainy and dark and it's starting to get cold. I love autumn! I love October and I love stew.

This Italian Peposo is a beef stew with wine and black pepper. It's super simple but super tasty and warming. I made mine with cow cheek. This meat is perfect for stew and super cheap. It looks tough when raw, but after 5 or 6 hours of cooking, it gets nice and soft.

Ingredients (2p):

• 700 gram cow cheek • 5 garlic cloves • 500 ml red wine (officially a Chianti, but I used a super tasty Primitivo) • 300 ml beef broth • 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper • 2 tbsp flour • thyme • 3 bay leaves • 2 tbsp tomato puree • 1 tbsp brown sugar • salt to taste •

1. Put some olive oil in a Dutch oven or pan with a thick bottom and a lid. Slice your meat into bite size chunks and sear in the hot oil for a few minutes.

2. Peel your garlic cloves and crush them lightly, but keep them mostly whole. They will melt away in the end anyway. Add them into the pan with the tomato puree and fry shortly. Add the flour and stir a few times.

3. Add in all the other ingredients and stir well. Bring to a soft boil. Put the lid on the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 to 6 hours while stirring ones in a while. Taste if you need any extra salt or pepper or maybe a little sugar. The sugar level depends on your wine, so taste first, add later.

4. Once the meat starts to soften, you can simmer without the lid, to thicken the sauce some more.

Serve over pasta or polenta or with a good piece of bread.

Be aware. If you have a good quality black pepper, the dish can be pretty spicy. Of you don't like spicy, start with 1 tbsp of the black pepper and add more along the way. Try to use freshly ground black pepper for the best flavour!

Pair with the wine you used for the sauce!

Enjoy!