True autumnal comfort food: deeply savoury, fall-apart beef cooked in wine and aromatics, tossed over pappardelle with a bright gremolata. This recipe serves 6 people.
Ingredients
For the stew:
- 1.2–1.5 kg stewing beef, cut into large chunks (I usually buy the runder riblap from Albert Heijn)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150 g pancetta or streaky bacon, diced
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 ml red wine (Chianti, Barolo, or other robust red)
- 400 g tinned tomatoes, crushed
- 400 ml beef stock
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the gremolata:
- Zest of 1 lemon (finely grated)
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
To serve:
- 500 g pappardelle
- Grated Parmesan (optional)
Method
- Pre-heat the over to 150°C.
- Brown the beef: Pat beef chunks dry with paper towel, season well with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy pan, heat olive oil. Brown beef in batches until deeply caramelised on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Cook pancetta & vegetables: In the same pot, fry pancetta until lightly crisp. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.
- Deglaze: Pour in the wine, scraping up any brown bits. Simmer 5 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Build the stew: Add tomatoes, beef stock, herbs, and return the beef (and any juices) to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook gently in the oven at 150°C for about 3–3.5 hours, until the beef is falling apart. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the sauce, if needed.
- Shred the beef: Discard herb stalks. Using two forks, shred the beef into the sauce (or leave big chunks if you prefer). Adjust seasoning.
- Make the gremolata: Mix lemon zest, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl.
- Serve: Cook pappardelle until al dente, toss with some of the stew sauce. Top with the shredded beef, sprinkle generously with gremolata, and add Parmesan if desired.
Notes
This stew tastes even better the next day, so you can make it ahead and reheat.
If you prefer, replace some of the stock with beef bone broth for extra richness.
Leftovers freeze beautifully.