298599 Sun Sep 26 07:51:25 -0700 2004 13 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1651639 All, OUCH!!! As a neophyte in wine I trooped down to the local store to find Barolo type wines costing $35 – to over $60.00. Shocking for a pot roast recipe to call for this. ‘Hounds, what similar wines will give the like characteristics as Barolo and without the price? Though I fine it almost indefensible I would spend $15 per bottle. The recipe calls for 3½LB Chuck Eye roast and ONE Bottle of Barolo, the rest of the recipe is a standard braise. Frank, In Southern Connecticut Sun Sep 26 07:51:25 -0700 2004 0 Frank Z. 1 1651640 I have a wonderful recipe for Braised Beef Barolo Style by Stefano Battistini, Chef at Fresco by Scotto in NYC. I've made it a couple of times and it is truly delicious. My recipe calls for "1 bottle tannic red wine, preferably a Barolo or Barbera." Are you using the same recipe? Sun Sep 26 08:23:39 -0700 2004 1651639 0 Annie M 2 1651641 I don't know your recipe so could you please post it? This is from a to be published cook recipe. BEEF BRAISED IN BAROLO Serves 6 This recipe is not difficult, but will take about 4 hours to complete, so plan accordingly. If possible, purchase pancetta that is cut to order, and ask that it be cut about 1/4-inch thick. If pancetta is not available, substitute an equal amount of salt pork (find the meatiest piece possible), cut it into 1/4-inch cubes, and boil it in 3 cups of water for about 2 minutes to remove excess salt. After draining, use it as you would pancetta (it will likely take a couple extra minutes to brown and render). Barolo tends to be an expensive wine, but we did find an $11 bottle and had good results using it in this dish. If an inexpensive Barolo cannot be found, substitute with a robust, full-bodied red wine; we had success with cabernet sauvignons and zinfandels. Good accompaniments to the braise include polenta and mashed potatoes. The braise can be prepared up to 2 days in advance; complete the recipe through step 2. Cool the meat in the braising liquid in the Dutch oven (be sure that it is in a nonreactive pot), then refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, skim off the fat congealed on the surface, and gently reheat the pot contents, covered, over medium heat, turning the meat once or twice. Once the meat is heated though (this may take about 45 minutes; to test if heated through, insert a paring knife into the meat for about 5 seconds, then check if the blade is hot to the touch), remove it and continue with the recipe from step 3. 1 boneless chuck eye roast (about 3 1/2 pounds), prepared according to illustrations 00 through 00 Salt and ground black pepper 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (see note above) 2 medium onions, chopped medium (about 2 cups) 2 medium carrots, chopped medium (about 1 cup) 2 medium celery ribs, chopped medium (about 1 cup) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon) 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour 1 bottle (750 milliliters) Barolo wine (see note above) 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained 1 sprig fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon minced leaves 1 sprig fresh rosemary 10 sprigs fresh parsley 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Thoroughly pat beef dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place pancetta in 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat; set Dutch oven over medium-high heat and until heat fat until beginning to smoke. Add beef to pot and cook until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer beef to large plate; set aside. 2. Reduce heat to medium; add onions, carrots, celery, and tomato paste to pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, sugar, flour, and reserved pancetta; cook, stirring constantly, until combined and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; add thyme sprigs, rosemary, and parsley. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; increase heat to high and bring liquid to boil, then place large sheet foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Set pot in oven and cook, using tongs to turn beef every 45 minutes, until dinner fork easily slips in and out of meat, about 3 hours. 3. Transfer beef to cutting board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow braising liquid to settle about 5 minutes, then, using wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface. Add minced thyme leaves and bring to liquid boil over high heat and cook, whisking vigorously to help vegetables break down, until mixture is thickened and reduced to about 3 1/2 cups, about 18 minutes. Strain liquid through large fine-mesh sieve, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; you should have about 1 1/2 cups strained sauce (if necessary, return strained sauce to Dutch oven and reduce to 1 1/2 cups). Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. 4. Remove and discard kitchen twine from meat. Using chef’s or carving knife, cut meat against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Divide meat between warmed bowls or plates; pour about 1/4 cup sauce over and serve immediately. Frank Sun Sep 26 08:52:14 -0700 2004 1651640 0 Frank Z 3 1651642 I found the recipe I use at MSNBC.com. It's from a segment that aired about one year ago: "Hearty Italian Eats to Beat the Winter Blues." I've included a link (I hope), since I think that I might be infringing copyrights (or something like that) if I posted the actual recipe. Hope the link works. Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4112276/ Sun Sep 26 09:16:24 -0700 2004 1651641 0 Annie M 4 1651644 Thanks for the link, Annie. Since you have successfully made the beef dish, what wine did you use? what brandy? Sun Sep 26 10:51:30 -0700 2004 1651642 0 efdee 5 1651645 I made the recipe twice last winter and I'll be making it again - it's definitely a keeper. I don't remember what red wine I used (it wasn't a Barolo - I like drinking Barolos too much to use an entire bottle as a marinade!) - I chose a tannic red in the range of $15/bottle. For the brandy in the recipe, I used Tiffon VSOP Fine Champagne Cognac (I picked this up on sale at BottleBuys a while back - still have some left in the bottle. I use it also when I make French Onion Soup. I use Julia Child's recipe and it calls for cognac or brandy.) I would think any decent brandy and tannic red wine would do just fine for the Barolo Braised Beef. Sun Sep 26 11:33:43 -0700 2004 1651644 0 Annie M 6 1651646 Annie, I used Marco Porello Nebbiolo D'Alba @ $13./Bottle. Difference between your and my recipe is you marinate. Also the sautéing with tomato past then the addition of sugar and flour. Frank Sun Sep 26 11:49:51 -0700 2004 1651645 0 FRank Z 7 1651647 Frank, how did it turn out? Have you eaten it yet? Sun Sep 26 11:56:01 -0700 2004 1651646 0 Annie M 8 1651648 Annie, It is still cooking with about 1¾ hours to go. The plan is to finish it and have it for dinner tonight. I think with egg noodles and zucchini. Actually this recipe is a trial for a dinner party I’ll be having in 1½ weeks. At the dinner party I’ll serve “Family style” though I’ve never done it. I never liked individual serving thinking it keeps me too much in the kitchen. There will be four couples, eight people. My dinner table fits 12 so I should be good. Would silver flat ware be too much? Frank Sun Sep 26 12:14:34 -0700 2004 1651647 0 Frank 9 1651649 I think that the silver is a good idea....since you are serving family style it will give it an ironic touch of class. Folded Bishop's Caps would be nice as well. Sun Sep 26 12:44:06 -0700 2004 1651648 0 rudeboy 10 1651650 Folded Bishop's Caps would be nice as well. Can you point me to how? Frank Sun Sep 26 12:52:59 -0700 2004 1651649 0 Frank 11 1651665 I did a qick search for "napkin folding,", and I found this: Link: http://www.customlinenservice.com/napkins.htm Sun Sep 26 17:18:49 -0700 2004 1651650 0 rudeboy 1 1651659 As a Christmas present, I'd given a friend a bottle of white truffle oil and a promise to make a dinner using the condiment in a tasting menu for him and his friends. In July, we finally put it together with the following menu. Cream of cauliflower soup (in demitasse) Fennel, Belgian endive, parmigiano reggiano and lemon salad Mac 'n' cheese gratin Roasted beet carpaccio with champagne vinagrette and truffle cheese Brasato di barolo and mashed roots For braising the beef, I looked for a Langhe Nebbiolo, made from the same grape as Barolo. The good ones range in price from about $15 to $20. Luckily I ended up buying a very delicious and fruity one, that happens to be imported to the US by my friend Oliver McCrum, 1992 Elio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo. Our email exchange about the wine is pasted below. You'll see that he recommends Dolcetto for stews. -----Original Message----- From: Oliver McCrum Sent: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 12:08:21 -0700 To: mswine@onebox.com Subject: Re: 2002 Elio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Melanie, The wine is vinified very differently from his other Nebbiolo, a short cuvaison followed by less than 6 months in stainless, no wood. He always makes that Nebbiolo, but it may have some of the fruit in it that was originally intended for Barolo. The '02 vintage was average for Nebbiolo, but slammed in the press for the wrong reasons. You should find some other Langhe Nebbiolos coming in, and I've loved what I've tasted. I love making stew or brasato with Dolcetto. Makes the most amazing gravy. O On Saturday, July 17, 2004, at 11:48 PM, mswine@onebox.com wrote: > http://www.eliograsso.com/inglese/vini/langhenebbiolo.htm > > Hey Oliver, hope you're having a smashing summer. Maybe I'll see you > at Rebecca's party next weekend? > > I'm writing because your nebbiolo is stupendous and a screaming buy at > $19 at K&L - Bravo! I'm making Brasato al Barolo for a dinner party > on Monday and needed a bottle of young wine to marinate the meat for > 36 hours. Found the E. Grasso on K&L's website as well as a couple > other wines on Wine Club's today. At that moment, Allison Marino > happened to call, and when I asked for her advice, she voted for the > youthful E. Grasso. I had this nagging idea in the back of my head > that I knew this producer, and when I got to the store and saw your > importer tag on the back, I laughed out loud! Was also relieved > because I then remembered the barolos I've enjoyed through your > largesse and also knew that it would not be a brett bomb for soaking > this brisket. > > The recipe calls for a whole bottle of barolo in the marinade. I > thought I would have just a taste to make sure it was sound, but ended > up drinking a full glass and a little more with my dinner of leftover > braised oxtails which was just the ticket. The nose is so giving and > lush in its youth with sweet spices, plenty of tar, rose petals, > chalky minerals, and even real fruit (mulberry?)! Only moderate in > length and finishes a bit hot, but there's still a lot to enjoy here. > It's clean and ripe, and the tannins are well-modulated. Monday's > brasato is going to be really delicious after macerating in this! > > I'd like to recommend this wine to some friends - can you tell me more > about it? It seems to me that there's some wood on this, although not > new oak. I checked the producer's website, and his production note > says it's all stainless. Yet, I also note that there was no barolo > produced in 2002. Does this year's cuvee include declassified barolo > that had some oak maturation? > > I'm staring at my empty wine glass and wishing I'd hed back a little > more of that wine for me. Ah well, my guests will get their full > measure in the sauce. > > ~ Melanie > > Oliver McCrum Wines www.omwines.com Image: http://www.eliograsso.com/inglese/img/foto/etichette/langhenebbiolo.jpg Sun Sep 26 14:59:38 -0700 2004 1651639 0 Melanie Wong 1 1651719 I cook this dish (or one very simiiar to it) quite often. Any full-bodied red wine will do just fine. Try a California Petite Sirah or Zinfandel. If you want to stick with Italian wine, try a Nebbiolo or Barbera as Melanie Wong has suggested. You could also use a Chianti. If you live near a Trader Joe's, try the $12 Barbaresco that they have been selling. Mon Sep 27 12:32:48 -0700 2004 1651639 0 DavidT