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Peposo
Peposo dell'Impruneta: Tuscan beef shin baked slowly with red wine, garlic and a fistful of black pepper
Peposo comes from Impruneta, the hill town south of Florence famous for its terracotta, where kiln workers are said to have tucked pots of beef, wine and pepper into the cooling kilns to cook overnight. Today it is a winter Sunday dish across Tuscany: beef shin cooked for hours in red wine with whole garlic and a startling amount of black pepper until it is dark, tender and warming, served on toasted bread or with white beans. It contains alcohol, which mostly cooks off over the long bake; for an alcohol-free version use 500 ml beef stock, 200 ml red grape juice and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar. The usual mistake is using ready-ground pepper, which turns muddy and harsh; crack whole peppercorns coarsely. Chef's tip: add half the pepper at the start and half in the last hour, so you get both depth and a fresh bite.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb beef shincut into 5 cm chunks
- 10 cloves garlicpeeled, left whole
- 2 tbsp black peppercornscoarsely cracked
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 3 cups Tuscan red wine
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan). Put the 3 ⅓ lb beef shin, 10 cloves garlic, half the 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1 sprig fresh rosemary in a heavy casserole (terracotta if you have one).
10 minStep 2: Pour in the 3 cups Tuscan red wine so the meat is just covered, adding a little water if needed. Bring slowly to a simmer on the hob.
10 minStep 3: Cover and bake for 3 hours, stirring once an hour. Add a splash of water if the liquid drops below the meat.
180 minStep 4: Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp black peppercorns and bake uncovered for 30 minutes more, until the sauce is dark and reduced and the beef falls apart when pressed with a spoon.
30 minStep 5: Taste for salt and serve on toasted bread or with white beans. It is even better made a day ahead and reheated.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 56 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does peposo take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 225 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
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