This meat sauce for pasta or gnocchi has a sweet-sour flavour. Dad insists it's traditionally served with gnocchi, while Mum goes for homemade pasta.
Ingredients
1 ½ kgs | Beef, fresh beef eye, of silverside (not corned silverside) (Main) |
100 g | Pancetta, cut into small strips |
3 | Garlic cloves, 1 thinly sliced, the others finely chopped |
500 ml | Red wine vinegar, up to 750ml |
4 | Cloves |
1 cup | Plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper |
2 | Large onions, sliced |
80 ml | Olive oil |
2 | Carrots, roughly chopped |
2 | Celery stalks, roughly chopped |
2 Tbsp | Tomato paste |
1 handful | Parsley, chopped |
¼ tsp | Nutmeg, grated |
2 tsp | Sugar |
1 Ltr | Water, up to 2 ltr or beef stock (to cover) |
½ cup | Marsala |
1 to taste | Salt and pepper |
150 g | Pitted prunes |
1 handful | Parsley, finely chopped |
1 to serve | Ground parmesan, freshly grated |
1 to serve | Pasta, or gnocchi |
Directions
- Cut a dozen small incisions into the meat and stuff with strips of pancetta and the slivers of garlic.
- Place in a bowl that will fit the meat snugly, add the whole cloves and pour in enough of the vinegar to cover.
- Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, drain the meat (discard the vinegar) and roll well in seasoned flour.
- Heat the oil on a high heat in a large heavy pot or casserole and add the meat and onions.
- Brown the meat all over and let the onions soften and take on some colour.
- Add the chopped garlic, carrot and celery and fry for another couple of minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, a handful of parsley, nutmeg and sugar, stir and then add enough water and/or beef stock to just cover the meat.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a little more sugar if it tastes very sour.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for half an hour on a gentle heat before adding the Marsala and simmering for another hour and a half.
- Remove the meat from the liquid and cut into slices about 5mm-thick. Set aside.
- Puree the cooking liquid and veges in a food processor until smooth and put back into the pot with the sliced meat.
- Add the prunes and a little more water if the sauce is very thick and simmer for 15 minutes more.
- Stir in the extra parsley and serve with pasta or gnocchi and lots of grated parmesan.