brasato

Brasato is an Italian cooking method and a dish in which a piece of beef is braised slowly in wine or stock with aromatics until tender. The term refers to both the technique and the prepared dish and is common in several regional cuisines.

Preparation typically uses a tougher cut such as chuck, brisket, or shin. The meat is seared to brown the surface, then removed. A soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery is sautéed, followed by garlic. Red wine is added to deglaze, then tomato paste is stirred in, and the meat is returned to the pot with enough stock to come partway up the sides. Bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme are common aromatics. The dish braises slowly in the oven or on the stove for several hours until the meat is fork-tender. The cooking liquid is reduced to form a rich sauce, sometimes finished with a knob of butter.

Regional variants include Brasato al Barolo, a Piedmontese version that uses Barolo wine; other wines such as Valpolicella, Amarone, or generic red wine are used in different locales. The dish is often served with polenta, mashed potatoes, or soft polenta to accompany the sauce.

Etymology and classification: The name Brasato comes from the Italian verb brasare, meaning to braise. It describes a method rather than a fixed recipe and shares kinship with other braised meat dishes across European cuisine.