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Ragù Bolognese: The Official Recipe

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February 11, 2022

I’m a little more than halfway through a week’s visit to Bologna.  Bologna is referred to as la dotta, la grassa, la rossa: the learned, the fat, the red.

“The learned” relates to Bologna as the seat of the oldest university in the western world and the top-rated university in Italy.  It has a highly educated population.

“The red” refers to the color of the terra cotta tiles on many of the roofs.

“The fat” is well earned based on the food.  This is the land of mortadella, ragù Bolognese, tagliatelle, tortellini, lasagna al forno (aka lasagna Bolognese), prosciutto, parmigiano reggiano, and balsamic vinegar of Modena among other traditional, and dare I say, famous foods.

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Let’s not forget gelato.  While I don’t think Bologna can claim title to the originator of gelato, they have perfected a style made with eggs that is consummately smooth.  A gelateria is often referred to as a cremeria in Bologna.

Tagliatelle al Ragu at at Osteria dell’Orsa in Bologna.

My main goal being here is to eat.  I want to taste some of the iconic foods of the region in the cathedral to food that is Bologna.  To that end, I’ve had dishes with ragù Bolognese three times in the last three days.  Though there were slight differences, the preparations tasted amazingly similar.  That got me to thinking about consistency.

I know that there’s an official recipe for Pesto alla Genovese which I reference in my post on pesto.  That got me to thinking about other official recipes.  After some internet sleuthing, I discovered that there’s an Italian Academy that, after substantial research, codifies and registers what it considers to be the official recipes for traditional dishes.  (Of course there is!  This is Italy.  Food is paramount.) Access to these recipes is quite limited.  (Of course it is!  This is Italy.  Food is rigorously protected.)

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My primary culinary interest is traditional recipes.  Discovering the existence of this academy has been a revelation for me.  So much so that I decided to occasionally post their recipes, translated into English with notes on ingredients and techniques as appropriate to enable my readers to recreate the taste of the original.

So much of what passes for Italian food in the States is far from the original.

Lasagna al Forno (aka Lasagna Bolognese) at Trattoria Anna Maria in Bologna.

I’ll be quick to add that credible variations on these official recipes exist but the very existence of the official ones sets a standard of comparison.  Several years ago, I posted a recipe for Ragù Bolognese.  You will see the similarity.  The main differences in my version are a greater proportion of tomatoes and the absence of dairy.  It is a very good ragù, and one that I continue to make on a regular basis.  But today, I’m giving you the official recipe.

Enjoy!

(Photo: Erikatrioschi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

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 Ragù Bolognese: The Official Recipe
Butchering in Italy produces different cuts from butchering in the United States. I’ve noted some US cuts of beef that would be appropriate based on the recommended Italian cuts. For those of you who want to try your hand at this, the original cuts of meat listed are cartella, panica, fesone di spalla, and fusillo. Broth in Italy is light. It is not an intensely flavored stock as might be common in much of French cooking.
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Course Pasta, Noodles, and Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 1/2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Pasta, Noodles, and Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 1/2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Votes: 3
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Sauté the pancetta in a heavy-bottomed pot, approximately 7-8 inches in diameter (20 cm). Render as much fat as possible without browning the pancetta. A little gold color is fine.
  2. Add the olive oil or butter along with the carrot, celery, and onion. Sauté gently until softened, without browning, approximately 10 minutes.
  3. Add the beef and mix well. Sauté until it sizzles (that is, until all liquid has evaporated and the beef begins to cook in the fat).
  4. Add the wine and cook gently until it completely evaporates.
  5. Add the tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for two hours, adding broth as needed when the ragù becomes too thick.
  6. During the last few minutes add the milk. This will counteract the acidity of the tomatoes.
  7. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  8. If the ragù is going to be used for dried pasta (instead of fresh pasta or lasagna), it is customary to add the cream, otherwise not.
Recipe Notes

Copyright © 2022 by Villa Sentieri, LLC.  All rights reserved.

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Recipes

Risotto Friulano (Friuli-Style Risotto)

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June 25, 2018

If you do an internet search on Risotto Friulano you will turn up more entries for risotto con lo sclopit than any other.

Sclopit (bladder campion in English) is native to large parts of Europe and beyond.  It is not native to the United States but grows abundantly from coast to coast. Its botanical name is Silene vulgaris.

The leaves of Silene vulgaris (sclopit in Friulan; bladder campion in English) are used in risotto (photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons)
In my husband’s family, however, Risotto Friulano refers to risotto that is made with Salsa Friulano, a traditional tomato sauce made with ground meat, herbs and spices.  I’ve published two recipes for Salsa Friulano.  One is my mother-in-law’s and the other is Ivana’s, the wife of my mother-in-law’s cousin Olvino.  (By the way, I asked my mother-in-law about sclopit.  She’s never heard of it!)

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My mother-in-law uses homemade chicken broth, and her Friulan tomato sauce for her Risotto Friulano.  Uncle Ray, her brother, uses canned beef broth instead of chicken broth.  Neither uses risotto rice, opting for long-grain rice, and neither really follows the common risotto technique of adding liquid slowly and allowing it to evaporate before the next addition.

We have long discussions about these differences.  While I don’t have a good explanation for the differences in technique other than cooking differences within their family, it’s my belief that the use of long-grain rice rather than short-grain “risotto” rice is a consequence of what was readily available when the family immigrated to the United States.

Sclopit leaves

I have a number of cookbooks from Friuli and all the recipes for risotto use what the Italians would call “riso per risotto,” rice for risotto.  It’s possible that this is a recent change in cooking habits in Friuli but I am more inclined to believe that the switch from risotto rice to long-grain rice happened in the United States, at least for my mother-in-law’s family.

Both my mother-in-law and Uncle Ray add enough liquid to their respective recipes for Risotto Friulano to make the final product pourable, like a traditional risotto.  Without the more starchy riso per risotto and the risotto technique, however, the result is not as creamy but still very good…and very traditional within the family.  Just ask my father-in-law, who is from Tuscany and not Friuli, whose Risotto Friulano he prefers!  (Hint, he’ll tell you mine tastes good, but…)

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The most common types of rice for risotto are Arborio, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano.  Arborio is the easiest to find and it is what I use most of the time.  Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are even more forgiving than Arborio as they are harder to overcook.  They are more difficult to source in American markets, however.

Arborio Rice is generally the easiest “riso per risotto” (risotto rice) to find in the United States

When I make Risotto Friulano, I follow standard risotto technique and use short-grain Italian rice.  I hope you enjoy it!

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 Risotto Friulano (Friuli-Style Risotto)
My mother-in-law’s version of this is much simpler. She sautés long-grain rice in olive oil without any aromatics. She adds the sauce and then the broth. Broth is not added in small amounts but most of it is put in at once. Additional broth is added near the end If the rice can absorb it. Uncle Ray’s version is similar but with canned beef broth. Parmigiano is added at the end. If you’re going to make Marisa’s Mystical Meatballs, this is a wonderful use of the beef broth that will be created. See the Notes below for a link to the meatball recipe. If you are not using unsalted homemade broth, do not add salt as directed. Wait until the end and add salt to taste.
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Course Rice and Other Grains
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Rice and Other Grains
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Bring the broth and the Salsa Friulana to a bare simmer in separate pots.
  2. Heat a two or three quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil.
  3. Briefly sauté the onion in the oil. As the liquid from the onion evaporates and the onion just begins to turn translucent, reduce the heat to medium add the garlic.
  4. x
  5. Sauté on medium until the onion is translucent. Do not brown the onion or garlic. You may need to reduce the heat.
  6. When the onion is translucent, return the heat to medium high and add the rice.
  7. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the rice grains are partially translucent. Do not brown the rice.
  8. The outer portion of the rice grains will get translucent while the inside will stay opaque white.
  9. Add the wine.
  10. Stir frequently, but not constantly, until the wine has totally evaporated. You will begin to see some starch leaching out of the rice. More and more of the starch will leach out as you cook the rice. This is what will make a creamy sauce.
  11. When the wine has evaporated, add one ladle of simmering broth, approximately 1/3 cup, and the salt. Stir thoroughly paying particular attention to loosening any spots where the starch seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pan. You don’t want to brown (or worse yet, burn) the starch.
  12. Cook, stirring frequently but not constantly, until the broth has evaporated.
  13. Keep repeating the process with 1/3 cup of broth, cooking, stirring, loosening any spots that are sticking, and allowing the liquid to evaporate, until you have used approximately 5 cups of the broth. The heat should stay as close as possible to medium high. The moderate boiling of the liquid will coax starch out of the rice to create the creaminess that is the hallmark of a good risotto.
  14. Add 1 ½ cups of Salsa Friulana and cook until some of the liquid has evaporated. It will not be possible to cook the rice until dry once the sauce is added.
  15. Season with black pepper to taste.
  16. Continue adding broth, one ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked and creamy but still al dente at the very center.
  17. Remove the rice from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese then the remaining ½ cup of Salsa Friulana.
  18. Still off the heat, add hot broth, a little at a time, to create a creamy, pourable risotto, adding only as much as the starchy liquid in the risotto will absorb.
  19. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  20. Serve immediately. Pass additional Parmesan cheese at the table.
Recipe Notes

This is where you’ll find the recipe for Marisa’s Mystical Meatballs.

You can find my mother-in-law’s recipe for Salsa Friulana here and Ivana’s recipe here.

Copyright © 2018 by Villa Sentieri, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Salsa Friulana di Marisa (Marisa’s Friulan Tomato Sauce)

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June 11, 2018

Ma’s spaghetti sauce.  That’s what my husband calls it.

That’s pretty similar to what most of us of Italian heritage who grew up in the United States called the sauce that our mothers (yes, it was almost always the mothers) made most frequently.

It isn’t as if there aren’t more pasta sauces than one can count.  It’s just that for everyone I know of Italian heritage, there’s one that stands out above the rest.

For my husband’s family, this is the one.

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It’s actually quite similar to Ivana’s sauce.  Ivana is married to my mother-in-law’s cousin Olvino.  Ivana grew up in Friuli but in a different town.  There are subtle differences in her sauce and my mother-in-law’s sauce, but if you read both recipes you’ll certainly see the similarities.

My mother-in-law doesn’t remember when she learned to make this sauce, or even if she learned from her mother or her aunt.  She does remember, however, that her father asked her how she could get married (she was engaged to my father-in-law) without knowing how to cook.

My mother- and father-in-law on their wedding day (apparently before she knew how to cook)

She got married, ultimately learned to cook, and then headed up the kitchen in Castleview, the restaurant that she and my father-in-law owned in Fox River Grove, Illinois.  The restaurant was named Castleview because it had a view of an adjacent…you guessed it…castle…well, sort of a castle.   For more information on the castle, you can look here.

The Bettendorf Castle in Fox River Grove, Illinois

By the time I came on the scene, it was difficult to catch more than a glimpse of the castle from the restaurant due to the growth of trees and other vegetation.

Another view of the Bettendorf Castle

My mother-in-law thought my version of her sauce was “pretty good.”  She did note that it was thicker than hers; probably because I cook it longer but also potentially due to a different brand of tomatoes.  If you want it thinner, cook it less or (my preference) just add more water or put a splash of pasta-cooking water in the bowl with the pasta and the sauce.  (Just between you and me, when I’m putting dinner on the table using my mother-in-law’s sauce, I usually boil it down a bit because it seems a little thin to me!)

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In a few weeks I’ll be posting a recipe for Friulan Risotto that incorporates this sauce.  Stay tuned.

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 Salsa Friulana di Marisa (Marisa's Friulan Tomato Sauce)
The amount of water needed will vary based on how thick the tomato puree is, how much liquid evaporates during cooking, and how thick or thin you like your sauce. Feel free to add more water during cooking if the mixture is becoming too thick. If the sauce is too thin uncover near the end of cooking and increase the heat to cook off more water.
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Course Pasta, Noodles, and Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings
quarts
Ingredients
Course Pasta, Noodles, and Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings
quarts
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
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Instructions
  1. Finely chop the parsley, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in food processor.
  2. There should be a bit of texture to the mixture, not a puree. Reserve.
  3. Puree the crushed tomatoes in the food processor.
  4. Rinse the cans out with some of the water. Add the water to the pureed tomatoes. Reserve.
  5. Sauté the beef in the olive oil on high heat until no pink remains.
  7. Add the chopped vegetables.
  8. Sauté on high heat until all the liquid evaporates and then continue to sauté until the mixture darkens slightly and smells cooked.
  9. Add the wine and continue to cook until the wine has evaporated.
  10. Add the allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir well.
  11. Add the tomato paste and sauté until it begins to smell sweet, approximately 5 minutes at medium-high heat.
  12. Meanwhile, rinse tomato paste can out with some of the water and add it to the pureed tomatoes.
  13. Add pureed tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil and remaining water.
  15. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for about 2 ½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
  16. After about an hour of cooking, begin to taste and adjust seasoning.
  17. Serve with the pasta of your choice.
Recipe Notes

Copyright © 2018 by Villa Sentieri, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Salsa Friulana d’Ivana (Ivana’s Friulan Tomato Sauce)

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November 17, 2017

My mother-in-law grew up in the town of Treppo Grande in the Italian province of Friuli. Friuli is in northeastern Italy. It is the major portion of the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Her father and two uncles lived with their families in three houses that wrapped around a courtyard. Her grandmother lived in the same complex. The extended family included numerous cousins.

Another uncle moved to the United States with his wife and their son early on.  Two more children were born to them in the US.

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At the age of 12, shortly after the end of World War II my mother-in-law, her brother (our Uncle Ray), and mother came to the States. Her father had been in the US working with the intention of bringing over the family but then the war broke out and the family could not be reunited until it ended.

One set of cousins stayed in Treppo Grande.  Another set of cousins moved to France.

In 1990 the “cousins,” as the US contingent called themselves, hatched a plan to organize a group trip to their hometown of Treppo Grande and to Digoin, France where the other set of “courtyard cousins” lived.

Naturally, planning for the trip required many “meetings” among the cousins; meetings that were fueled with copious amounts of food and alcohol interspersed with a little “business!”

The trip happened in August 1991. My husband and I went along with the “cousins” and their spouses.

The “United States” cousins and three of four spouses in Treppo Grande along with Carolina Fabbro, a friend of my mother-in-law’s mother.  She died a few years ago at more than 100 years of age.

We first met up in Paris for a day or two and did some sightseeing.

Afterwards, we were picked up in a small bus that had been arranged by Olvino, one of the original “courtyard cousins” who lived in Digoin. As I recall, the driver only spoke French. Among us we spoke English, Italian, Friulan (the language of Friuli), and a smattering of Spanish and German, but no French. Thankfully the driver knew where he was going and, for all other needs, we managed to communicate in some rudimentary, but effective, manner.

Interesting to me was that the vehicle had graph paper that kept a running record of the bus’s speed. Apparently the driver could be asked to produce the graph paper by the police and could be fined if it showed that he had exceeded the speed limit. Can you imagine that happening in the United States???

I was also fascinated when we stopped for lunch. The driver had a glass of wine. I will repeat that.  This professional bus driver had a glass of wine with lunch then got behind the wheel. Apparently, he was legally permitted to have one, just one, glass of wine and still drive.

Admittedly, one glass of wine is not going to get anyone’s blood alcohol level close to a level that produces intoxication but it pointed out that 1) the French are highly (overly?) regulated and 2) Europeans have a more relaxed approach to alcohol (probably to life in general, actually!).

I had a similar experience in 1994 when I did several consulting gigs in Europe. I frequently had lunch with physicians from the hospitals where I was consulting. Everyone (yes, everyone) had a glass of wine or beer with lunch and then went back to the hospital to work.

But I digress.

We spent several fun days in Digoin, where the local cousins had rented out a small hall, with a kitchen, because none of them had a house big enough to host all of us, and all of them, for meals.

There must have been six banquet tables shaped into a “U” around which we all sat. The crowd included not only those of us from the States, but the cousins who lived in Digoin along with their significant others, their children, and their children’s significant others.

Conversations frequently included four languages. The “cousins” typically spoke Friulan with each other. From there, the conversation would get translated into Italian, English, and French so that everyone could understand anything of interest to the group.

I don’t remember what we ate for dinner the first night except for the pasta which was sauced with a red sauce made by Ivana, Olvino’s wife.

I was transported by that sauce.

Tomato sauces in Friuli are different from the rest of Italy in that they have noticeable amounts of “warm” spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  My mother-in-law makes a sauce similar to the one that Ivana makes but there are differences. For example, hers includes only beef. Today’s recipe, however, is a tribute to Ivana.

This is my interpretation of Ivana’s recipe. Since the original recipe contained a list of ingredients but no quantities, I had to figure out what worked.

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Print Recipe
 Salsa Friulana d'Ivana (Ivana's Friulan Tomato Sauce)
There should be a little bit of red-tinged oil floating on top of the sauce to improve the mouthfeel of the pasta—just a little. If you cannot find lean ground pork, you may want to grind your own. An actual meat grinder will work better than a food processor but if you’re using a food processor be careful not to grind the meat too finely. For the beef, I suggest using 93% lean. This recipe makes enough sauce for approximately 4 pounds of pasta. Extra sauce freezes well.
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Course Pasta, Noodles, and Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course Pasta, Noodles, and Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
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Instructions
  1. If using canned tomatoes rather than crushed tomatoes or tomato puree, pass the tomatoes through a food mill and reserve.
  3. Grind the pork if you cannot get ground pork in your market.
  5. Grind the garlic, onion, and parsley in a food processor. If you used a food processor for the pork, there is no need to clean it. Alternatively, chop them very, very finely by hand.
  7. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven.
  8. Add the garlic-onion-parsley mixture. Sauté until the raw smell is gone.
  10. Add the ground beef and pork and sauté on high heat until the meat is browned.
  13. Add the tomato puree or crushed tomatoes.
  14. Add all remaining ingredients.
  15. Sage
  16. Rosemary
  17. Basil
  18. Bay leaves
  19. Cinnamon
  20. Cloves
  21. Nutmeg
  23. Simmer gently, partially covered, stirring frequently for approximately 2 ½ hours.
  24. Adjust salt and pepper during cooking.
  25. Toss approximately 1/4 of the sauce with one pound of cooked pasta.
Recipe Notes

Copyright © 2017 by VillaSentieri.com. All rights reserved.

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Carne di Manzo in Umido (Thinly Sliced Beef in Tomato Caper Sauce)

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August 30, 2017

As I am writing this, my husband’s Great Aunt Fidalma and cousin Massimo are visiting us from Tuscany. We’ve had quite a week of eating and drinking.  Every night, actually, was something like a party. At the lowest head count we were 6, but more often 9, and once 20!

From left to right: Massimo, me (holding Abby), my father-in-law, Zia Fidalma, Zia Ida, my mother-in-law.

Last night I fried a bunch of zucchini flowers to accompany cocktails. Zia Fidalma made little elongated meatballs (polpette) with ground beef and mortadella seasoned with onions, garlic, and herbs. I made risotto with mushrooms and my mother-in-law made long-simmered green beans in tomato sauce, something like my green beans in tomato sauce with bacon.

Risotto with Mushrooms, Meatballs, Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

While we were sitting at the table after dinner doing what Italians do (talking about growing food, talking about preparing food, talking about food we’ve eaten, and talking about the next meal) Zia Fidalma started to describe a dish of thinly sliced beef cooked in tomato sauce with capers.

“Carne di Manzo in Umido!” I said.  She concurred.

I told her that Carne di Manzo in Umido was, in fact, the long-planned blog post for Wednesday.

It is a dish I had at her home in Tuscany about 20 years ago. I wrote down the recipe in a combination of English and Italian and American and Metric measures sitting at her kitchen table. It took me a while to get it right but I think I’ve nailed it.

Here’s a quick rundown of the food we’ve had over the past week:

August 23rd: Pasta with Zucchini, Chicken Thighs braised in Red Wine and Balsamic Vinegar, Salad, Cherries in Brandy, Homemade Limoncello, and Homemade Bay Leaf Liqueur (being posted in October).

Cherries in Brandy
Homemade Limoncello

August 24th: Tiella (being posted in September), Grilled Hot and Sweet Italian Sausage, Grilled Broccolini drizzled with Olive Oil, and more Cherries in Brandy, Homemade Limoncello, and Homemade Bay Leaf Liqueur.

August 25th: Zia Fidalma’s Rouladen (German, I know, but Zia Fidalma lived in Germany for many years), Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob and, you guessed it, more Cherries in Brandy, Homemade Limoncello, and Homemade Bay Leaf Liqueur.

Zia Fidalma making the filling for her rouladen
A watchful eye on the cooking rouladen
Rouladen bubbling away
Zia Fidalma and a platter of rouladen
Me making mashed potatoes (with a side of bourbon)

August 26th (for 20 people): A Massive Antipasto Platter thanks to cousins Paul and Kim Phillips (and a shopping spree at Cheesemongers of Santa Fe), Baked Penne with Ham, Peas, Mushrooms and Roasted Garlic Besciamella, Porchetta, Corn Sautéed in Butter, Sformato di Spinaci, and Italian Almond Torta with Raspberries and Plum Crostata (thanks to Rich DePippo). Then there were those ever-present Cherries in Brandy, Homemade Limoncello, and Homemade Bay Leaf Liqueur.

Kim and Paul fortify themselves at the Santa Fe Farmers Market before heading off to a marathon shopping session at Cheesemongers of Santa Fe
Antipasto
A bit more antipasto
Baked Penne with Ham, Peas, Mushrooms and Roasted Garlic Besciamella
Porchetta
Sformato di Spinaci
Almond Torta with Raspberries and Plum Crostata

August 27th brought some sanity as we had leftovers from the 26th. (We could still feed a small army with the remains of Paul and Kim’s Antipasto Shopping Spree.)

August 28th: As described above, meatballs, risotto, and green beans.

I neglected to mention that we went through cases of wine and then there was a dark chocolate cake from Chocolate Maven Bakery in Santa Fe that kept making its appearance most nights right before we broke out those cherries.

Dark Chocolate Cake from Chocolate Maven Bakery

Eating will slow down a bit now that the relatives have left. As I finish writing this the house is perfumed from a large pot of chicken broth that will get portioned and frozen ready to be pulled out of the freezer in the coming weeks for wave after wave of risotto made with the freshest vegetables the market has to offer.

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Print Recipe
 Carne di Manzo in Umido
Thinly sliced beef is browned and then simmered in the barest amount of tomato sauce with an array of herbs. A bit of capers round out the flavors.
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Course Mains, Meats
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Mains, Meats
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
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Instructions
  1. Herbs, clockwise from top right: nepita, bay leaf, sage, rosemary, oregano.
  2. Combine the flour and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Mix well.
  3. Pound the steak lightly with a mallet.
  5. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Cut the pieces in half if they are too large after pounding.
  6. Dredge the steak in the seasoned flour and reserve. It is best to do this about an hour in advance as the flour will adhere to the meat better.
  7. Bruise the garlic with the side of a large chef’s knife.
  8. Put a thin film of olive oil on the bottom of a very large sauté pan. Heat over medium high heat.
  9. When hot, add as much of the beef as will fit without crowding in a single layer. Add half the garlic.
  10. Sauté the meat and garlic until the meat is browned on both sides.
  11. Remove the browned meat to a platter. Repeat with the remaining meat and garlic, in however many batches are needed.
  12. If the garlic starts to turn dark brown, remove it or it will become bitter.
  13. When all the meat is browned return it to the pan with any accumulated juices. Leave the cooking oil in the pan.
  14. Try to arrange the meat so that the pieces overlap rather than putting one piece of meat directly on top of another.
  15. Add all the other ingredients except the capers.
  16. Cover and simmer gently until meat is tender flipping the meat every 20 minutes or so. It will take at about one and one-half to two hours to get the meat tender depending on the cut and your elevation.
  17. Add water from time to time if the sauce boils away.
  18. Rinse the salt off the capers and add them during last five minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
  19. There should be a very small amount of sauce along with oil that is red from the tomato. Do not remove the oil, it adds significantly to the mouthfeel of the sauce.
Recipe Notes

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