This adaptation of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon celebrates Tuscany while beckoning family and friends around the table. Since your cooking wine is the foundation of the sauce, don’t skimp! Pick a very drinkable, full-bodied, Tuscan wine. This recipe is easy, though time-consuming. The good news is that it is meant to be made the day before. Serve the beef with polenta, a pasta that soaks up the juices, gnocchi, or mashed or boiled potatoes with parsley butter.

Developed for Molesini Wine Club, the recipe is included in the wine shipment so members can make the dish to enjoy during their virtual wine tastings.

Beef Toscana

Serves 6
Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook time: 3½ hours, plus 40 minutes to rewarm
Prepare one to two days before serving

1 bulb fresh fennel
½ cup (125 milliliters) olive oil, divided
6½ ounces (185 grams) cubed pancetta (can substitute applewood smoked bacon)
3½ pounds (1.6 kilograms) trimmed beef chuck or brisket, cut into 1 ½ to 2-inch (3.8 to 5-cm) cubes
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) pepper
½ teaspoon (2.5 milliliters) salt
¼ cup (60 milliliters) flour
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
6 cloves garlic, divided
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) fresh thyme
1 bottle (750 milliliters) hearty red Tuscan wine 
3 cups (750 milliliters) beef broth
1 beef bouillon cube
2½ (37.5 milliliters) tablespoons tomato paste
pinch of sugar
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) fresh Italian parsley, finely minced, divided
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) butter
9 ounces (258 grams) mushrooms, quartered

Directions 

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Trim the fennel bulb of tough outer leaves, cut in half and core, then medium dice. Add 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) salt to the water and the diced fennel. Boil for 4 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside. 

2. Heat oven to 325° F (162° C). In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil. Add pancetta and slowly brown until slightly crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep fat in the pan.

3. Place trimmed and cubed beef on a cutting board or butcher’s paper. Sprinkle with the pepper and salt, then the flour. Toss. Heat the skillet with the fat, adding 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of the olive oil. When it is shimmering hot, add half the beef to brown. Do not crowd. Regulate heat, so it does not burn. Turn after 5 minutes. As beef browns, finely chop the onion and carrot together. On a separate board, mince 4 cloves of garlic, the rosemary, and the thyme. When beef is brown, use a slotted spoon to remove to a Dutch oven or deep casserole. Repeat with second batch of beef. 

4. After beef is browned, add onions and carrots to the pan. Pull off the heat as needed to keep from burning. Use a spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan, regulate heat to low, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, and thyme and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce wine over high heat for 8 minutes. Add stock, bullion, tomato paste, pinch of sugar, and bay leaves. Return to a boil. 

5. Add pancetta, fennel, and 1½ tablespoons (22.5 milliliters) of the parsley to the beef. Toss. Cover with heavy-duty foil, then the lid if the pot has one. Cook in the oven for 3 ½ hours, stirring once or twice. Add more beef stock if needed. Remove from the oven, cool, then cover and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

6. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving; skim off any accumulated surface fat. Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, remaining 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until mushrooms are just tender and giving off their juices.

7. Add mushrooms to beef and reheat in a 350° F (176° C) oven for 40 minutes. Once the dish is hot, add additional broth as needed. You want a thick sauce; if it remains too thin, mix 2 tablespoons of flour with ¼ cup water and slowly pour into sauce to thicken. Heat completely. Serve over polenta, pasta, or potatoes. Garnish with additional minced parsley or sprigs of rosemary.

About Molesini Wine Club

This recipe was developed for Molesini Wine Club to be included in virtual tasting notes with wine shipments. Molesini Wine Club, based out of Cortona, Tuscany, features Italian wines that are otherwise unavailable outside of Europe. Marco and Paolo Molesini work closely with over 1,000 producers from across the country to ensure they are procuring the top labels from small producers making the finest boutique wines. Explore with them as they lead you through Tuscany, Piedmont, Sicily, and many lesser-known wine regions of their country. Members can customize shipments, decide on a tier that fits their palate best, and enjoy exclusive access to the most stunning wines of Italy. As a member of the Molesini Wine Club means becoming part of the Molesini family and we invite you to join us for this experience. For more information, please visit the Molesini Wine Club website.