In the course of a cooking show, Dario Cecchini, Panzano's butcher, presented Carne da Galera, a dish whose name literally translates as Jailhouse Meat. The name comes, he says, from the fact that the cuts involved are less noble, and tended to go bad quickly in the days before refrigeration. Hence this herb-laden pot-roasting method, which was able to cover any off smells the meat might have developed.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- A piece of pork shoulder butt or bottom round beef weighing 2-3 pounds (1-1.5 k)
- Several sprigs of rosemary and some fresh sage
- Other herbs of choice (some bay leaf, a juniper berry or two, thyme, and so on)
- A cup of good wine vinegar
- A little olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Begin by trying the meat with twine so it will keep its shape. Rinse and pat dry the herbs. Take a large pot that's deep enough to hold the meat and line its bottom with the herbs. Lay the meat over them, sprinkle a little oil over all, and brown the meat over high heat, turning it often and stirring the herbs around to lest they burn. When the meat has browned sprinkle in the vinegar and a little salt, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, and simmer covered for a couple of hours, or until the meat has become pleasingly tender. Do check on it every now and again, turning it occasionally, and if the juices look to be drying out add a little more liquid. Worried about the amount of vinegar? Dario assures it and the rosemary will balance each other out. Enjoy the Carne da Galera with a Brunello or a Chianti Classico Riserva.
2-3 hours of cooking time is quite a bit, and the announcer asked Dario how he could expect a modern family to make a dish of this sort. "It is a long time," he admitted, "but you don't have to stand by the stove. Just remember to check on it every 15-20 minutes, and otherwise go about your business."
This brings up an important point: Slow-cooking recipes don't require that much attention, and this makes them well suited to houses where a family member works from a home office. Indeed, the health people tell us we should take a break every 20 minutes or so, and going to check on the pot is a perfect excuse.
Yield: 8 or more servings jailhouse meat.
2-3 hours of cooking time is quite a bit, and the announcer asked Dario how he could expect a modern family to make a dish of this sort. "It is a long time," he admitted, "but you don't have to stand by the stove. Just remember to check on it every 15-20 minutes, and otherwise go about your business."
This brings up an important point: Slow-cooking recipes don't require that much attention, and this makes them well suited to houses where a family member works from a home office. Indeed, the health people tell us we should take a break every 20 minutes or so, and going to check on the pot is a perfect excuse.
Yield: 8 or more servings jailhouse meat.
