Gio

Gonna cook a special meal. Bought some meat and it's called Punta con osso adulto Bovino. I don't know what it is and I need some recipes. I'm a veggie. Help!!!! Ern

TestaRossa

It's a piece of grown up cow with a bone in it!

You'd normally roast beef with a bone in. Google delia smith, she's pretty reliable for roasts and timings. I'm guessing it is bigger than a steak which you would fry or grill even with a bone in?

Gio

Well it ain't got no bone and it is like a steak. Could I casserole it?
I'm such a numpty at cooking meat.

casalottian

If you're a veggie, whatever the recipe is, I think you'll have to cook it a lot to get all the meat out of it!

Gio

Lorna at Vicenza

Ernesto,

Even the cheapest bits of beef will come out really tender if you slow cook it in the oven.

Put some chopped onion in an ovenproof dish that has a lid.

In a frying pan quickly fry the chunks of beef in hot oil to seal it and to add a bit of colour. Throw in a splash of red wine.

Transfer the lot to the ovenproof dish (oil-wine-juices - the lot). Cover the meat with half water and half vegetable broth. (Stock cubes work fine) A lot of stock cubes in Italy are already salted so don't add any more salt until you get a chance to taste it later.

If you want a bit of tomatoe flavour in there replace some of the water with passata.

Put lid on and place in a low oven for at least 2 hours - closer to three.
About 40 minutes before serving throw a handful of chopped carrots into the pot. Make sure there is still enough liquid for the carrots to cook in but obviously the liquid will have reduced a lot. That's normal.

Serve with grilled slices of polenta, roast or mashed potatoes.

lindaf

Lorna do you like Polenta? I've tried it in a few different restaurants but never really enjoyed it and so have avoided making it at home.

Lorna at Vicenza

Not really no - neither the grilled slices nor the mushy kind.
It is always served here whenever you order grilled meats, and the mushy kind is often served with baccala - which I don't like either.
I'd much rather eat potatoes or Yorkshire puddings.

I used to wonder why I couldn't buy corn on the cob when the whole place is full of massive corn fields - it all goes into making polenta.

Sometimes I buy the pre-prepared slab of polenta that just needs slicing and shoving under a hot grill or on a griddle. OH likes it and so does Chloe but even OH prefers it with something hot and tasty like melanzane alla parmiggiana or hot cheese and mushrooms.

My OH doesn't eat meat so I've learnt lots of things to do with all the nice veg here and adapted some of my own more British recipes. I'm a dab hand now at making veggie quiches and veggie pasties. I cheat with the pastry though.

I wish I could find a really nice piece of smoked white fish but every fishmonger I've ever spoken to has told me I won't find it.

indiebird

I would do what Lorna suggested re: the meat. This is my fave way of slow cooking beef to make it really tender. I did this the other day, reduced the liquid down to almost nothing, made some shortcrust pastry and made a kind of pasty. Was absolutely fabby. I think that if you want to do steak you need to go and talk to a butcher and buy good meat. There are a couple here, but it aint the cheapest option but it is the only way that I've managed reliable meat that cooks nice and tender with frying (I don't buy veal as I'm not keen on how the animals are farmed. Seems a bit cruel to me...)

I personally like polenta and make a rich sausage casserole with plenty of red wine to go with it and then eat the leftovers, sliced and baked in the oven the next day with a bit of butter and cheese. I also love the Polenta Concia (sp??) that you get up in the Refuges and little restaurants in the Valli di Lanzo here. It is literally dripping with butter and cheese but it is fantastic filling food for after you've spent all day trudging up and down mountains!! With a nice jug of whatever the red may be it is fantastic, but I can never manage a whole portion and normally I am a greedy person!! and I can never manage a secondo or a pudding either.... must admit I find it really hard anywhere here to 'do' a full meal. We are just not used to it in the UK are we?!

37100

You lot are making me hungry. I'm stuck in waiting for the plumber. He should have been here at eight. When hubby turns up might send him out for some spezzatino if youngest is in for diner. If not, oh can eat bread and cheese for going awol.

TestaRossa

I love polenta! I had it grilled with a beef stew at a restaurant the other night! It's a favourite with cinghiale here in Flo - the mushy kind. I really didn't like it in Aosta tho' but I dislike smoked cheese!

Ernsto - you can marinate the beef in red wine too if you do stew it rather roast it. Con osso normally means with bone..never mind!

Let us know what you do.

Similar to polenta pre-cooked is gnocchi romana - I love that sliced with cheese and oven baked but no-one else in the family does!

Gio

Well, Thank you all. I decided to go with the slow cook, red wine (hic), then I'm gonna do a suet pastry and bake....
For a starter I'm doing a Barlotti & Canneli smash with chopped raw onion, touch of Cinnamon, S&P, garlic & an egg & bread crumbs. Made into small "burgers" and fried served with a red onion, tomato & corriander salsa.
Pudding Apple batter cake & cinammon ice cream......hmmm too adventurous maybe, but it is special.
Meats in the casserole dish & in the oven. PHEW, had to have a glass of the Tuscan wine I used hic,hic,hic.
A sozzled and now not stressed Ern

Lorna at Vicenza

Buon appetito. Do we get an invite the next time you make a special dinner ?

Lorna at Vicenza

P.S. Where did you get suet from ?

indiebird

oooh now that sounds fab. Yeah, can we have an invite next time please!! I have got a packet of my smuggled in bacon for tea tonight. Am going to make some sweetcorn fritters alla Nigella to go with. Thought the kids could do with some comfort food. I get my gran to send me suet in the post btw!!