Peposo: Luscious beef, the Italian way, easily

There are only three things to know about peposo. First off, if you can’t make a decent peposo, you probably should not be left alone with the raw ingredients of a meal. Second, if you object to eating historically seductive foods, get thee to McDonald’s and leave the rest of us alone. Third … Well, there is no third. Here’s the scoop on peposo, history, recipe and possible side effects. As mentioned, sort of, by Shelf Barker in his first attempt at Conan Doyle-ing, Crash Course.

Cathedral of peposo fame, the duomo of Santa Maria del Fiori, Florence (Wiki commons)

Tuscan history, Tuscan flavours, easy prep

When they were building the Duomo (dome) of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (1420-1436), furnace workers were employed night and day to produce the 4 million terracotta tiles needed. The workers were not paid union scale, and so could afford only the cheapest, toughest cuts of meat. However, spices were well known, Florence being on trade routes from the east, and garlic and Chianti wine were abundant and affordable. Solution to feeding the lowly workers, cheaply but well? Put some beef into a terracotta dish along with lots of garlic, black pepper and Chianti, tuck away in the furnace for hours, and consume with crusty bread when the meat was falling-off-the-bone tender and the sauce was a thick, delicious syrup.

Peposo, so easy a child could do it

Shelf Barker’s wife (Crash Course) is not an adventurous nor avid cook, and yet, her peposo is the stuff of legend. Why? With all that dough, she had no problem investing in a bona fide terracotta casserole. After she had that, all she had to do was this:

Put into the casserole:

• 2.5 to 3 lbs. rump roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 15 bashed black peppercorns (bash them with a rolling pin, or in a mortar if you have one)*
• A head of garlic, each clove skinned and bashed (see rolling pin, or use garlic press)
• 1 quart of Chianti, or a little more (half a cup) if you have it, or use half a cup of water

Stir it.

Cover the casserole with its own lid if it has one, or cover closely with aluminium foil.

Place in slow oven (150 C or 300 F) for 3-4 hours. Stir occasionally. 

If it looks too dry during cooking, add wine or water. Chances are it will be a bit too liquid when the meat―when stabbed with kitchen fork―is meltingly tender. If so, for the final half hour of cooking, remove the cover and leave the door open a crack and evaporation should take care of it.




Good bread, good meat, good God, let's eat
Serve over slabs of toasted Tuscan bread, or any good peasant bread with a substantial crust and a not-too-tender crumb.

You can bash the peppercorns this way, or under a rolling pin a few times (Wiki commons)

 

* If your peppercorns are old or cheap, they may not be as peppery as new, fresh, good ones. But start with this amount the first time, and assess your peppercorns, and also your desire for more or less peppery flavour and adjust accordingly.

Italian family dining al fresco. You can take your peposo outdoors to eat; you don't need an accordion player. (Wiki commons)

Another easy, tasty, inexpensive beef recipe here. 
Simple beef recipe for starving students here.
Move north to France for a simple, historic, filling casserole with beans instead of beef.