This is a Ligurian dish; in introducing it Alessandro Molinari Pradelli says, "Tocco, with an o so closed it almost sounds like u (tucco) is a thick sugo that's used to season pasta and other things. In other words, a hearty sauce, made with the obligatory olive oil and complemented by the ever rarer use of bone marrow or veal fat (ingredients abhorred by the modern health fanatics), in which the cooking is slow and the sauce is put through a strainer to gain a creamier consistency."
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (500 g) beef or veal
- 1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces (50 g) beef marrow (if need be you can replace the oil and butter with olive oil)
- A celery rib
- A carrot
- A medium onion
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon flour, toasted in a skillet
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 an ounce (10 g, about 1/4 cup) dried porcini, rehydrated in warm water
- 4 ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 5 ladles of hot broth (canned will work if need be)
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Mince the celery, onion and carrot. Dice the meat. Heat the butter and bone marrow in a casserole, and when they have melted add the minced herbs, meat, flour, soaked mushrooms (strain the water through a cloth and reserve it), and tomatoes. Simmer over a low flame, stirring everything occasionally lest it stick.
After about 20 minutes add the wine, and cook, covered. When the wine has evaporated, add the reserved mushroom water and enough hot broth to cover the meat. Check seasoning, cover the pot, and simmer until the meat is quite fork tender. When it is done, remove the meat from the pot to a bowl. Put the sauce through a strainer or food mill (or blend it), and use most of it to season pasta, rice, polenta, or whatever you prefer, while the meat, with the remaining sauce, will be a perfect second course with the vegetable of choice. Or, you could save it for another meal.
Couple of things: If you do this with polenta, serve the meat and the sauce together. Also, other recipes call for the piece of meat to be left whole, which will mean a longer simmering time.
A wine? I'd head to nearby Piemonte, and drink a Barbera with this.
After about 20 minutes add the wine, and cook, covered. When the wine has evaporated, add the reserved mushroom water and enough hot broth to cover the meat. Check seasoning, cover the pot, and simmer until the meat is quite fork tender. When it is done, remove the meat from the pot to a bowl. Put the sauce through a strainer or food mill (or blend it), and use most of it to season pasta, rice, polenta, or whatever you prefer, while the meat, with the remaining sauce, will be a perfect second course with the vegetable of choice. Or, you could save it for another meal.
Couple of things: If you do this with polenta, serve the meat and the sauce together. Also, other recipes call for the piece of meat to be left whole, which will mean a longer simmering time.
A wine? I'd head to nearby Piemonte, and drink a Barbera with this.
