koukouvagia wrote:

What is spezzatino and brovil?

bovril has already been covered
spezzatino is like stufato(stew) except the ingredients are cut smaller.  loose translation of spezzatino would be small cuts/pieces.   

the most well know would use veal   spezzatino di vitello   but it really can be any stew with small pieces of meat.  Many have potato, carrot  onion  or even sweet peppers .

In my family though , if I say I am making spezzatino it is understood it will be a beef.  Techinically I guess it would be called spezzatino di manzo.  It is my nona's recipe and very plain. ingredients would be   beef preferally a tough cut ,cubed up into about 1.5 cm cubes.  a light bodied lively red wine, beef broth, tomato( depending on mood and what is available  it can be crushed  fresh, canned , passata, or paste) .   a small amount of onion.( too much makes it too sweet according to Nona)   a large hunk of carrot to knock down the acidity , but this is fished out afterwards.  s and p.. 

in fact I am making it right now.  no polenta though, I will eat it  over rice.


this picture looks very similar to how my nonna's recipe turns out except there would never be bay anywhere close to hers and the pieces look slightly too large to me.

http://www.ricettedellanonna.net/wp-con … CN1154.jpg

Last edited by Ashen (Sun 13 Jan 13 11:33pm)

Ashen wrote:

koukouvagia wrote:

What is spezzatino and brovil?

bovril has already been covered
spezzatino is like stufato(stew) except the ingredients are cut smaller.  loose translation of spezzatino would be small cuts/pieces.   

the most well know would use veal   spezzatino di vitello   but it really can be any stew with small pieces of meat.  Many have potato, carrot  onion  or even sweet peppers .

In my family though , if I say I am making spezzatino it is understood it will be a beef.  Techinically I guess it would be called spezzatino di manzo.  It is my nona's recipe and very plain. ingredients would be   beef preferally a tough cut ,cubed up into about 1.5 cm cubes.  a light bodied lively red wine, beef broth, tomato( depending on mood and what is available  it can be crushed  fresh, canned , passata, or paste) .   a small amount of onion.( too much makes it too sweet according to Nona)   a large hunk of carrot to knock down the acidity , but this is fished out afterwards.  s and p.. 

in fact I am making it right now.  no polenta though, I will eat it  over rice.


this picture looks very similar to how my nonna's recipe turns out except there would never be bay anywhere close to hers and the pieces look slightly too large to me.

http://www.ricettedellanonna.net/wp-con … CN1154.jpg

Good old beef stew.

I've been wanting to have French Onion soup or Jamie's English version.

Mmmm, spezzatino.  Thanks for specific instructions Ashen.

anyway back to the original question

I'd forgotten, Poached smoked haddock (Not the yellow stuff), served on creamy mashed potato with a poached egg on top...and if you want to "fancy it up", a dressing of olive oil, whole-grain mustard and chopped chives....

Nice and gentle on the tummy, and the smoky flavour is always comforting...