Holy Ghost Wine and Spice Braised Beef
This is a version of a traditional Portuguese dish from the Azores archipelago. It is usually served during theFeast of the Holy Ghost, on Pentecost Sunday or in the weeks that follow. We found the recipe in Ana Patuleia Ortins' cookbook, "Authentic Portuguese Cooking".
Ingredients
The Day Before
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, bone-in (1818 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups red wine (355 ml)
- 4 ea garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 ea bay leaf
- ½ tsp crushed dried chile pepper
The Next Day
- 1 cup water (235 ml)
- 1 ea large Vidalia or yellow Spanish onion thickly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups tomatoes very ripe, peeled, finely chopped (270g)
- 1/4 cup ketchup (60 g)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (30 g)
- 1 ea cinnamon stick - 2 inches long (5 cm)
- 7 ea whole cloves
- 7 ea Jamaican allspice berries we substituted 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 ea bay leaf
- 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher salt - or to taste (9 g)
- 6 ea thick slices day-old Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Greek, or crusty artisan bread
- 6 to 12 ea mint leaves
Instructions
The Day Before
- Place the roast in a non-reactive 5-quart / 4.5-L pot with a tight-fitting lid such as a Dutch oven. Pour the wine over and toss in the garlic, bay leaf, and crushed dried chile pepper. Cover and marinate for several hours or overnight, turning the meat over occasionally.
The Next Day
- Add the water to the pot containing the roast and marinade. Toss in the onion slices. Mix the tomatoes and ketchup with the tomato paste and stir into the pot.
- Place the cinnamon stick, cloves, Jamaican allspice, cumin, and bay leaf in a square of cheesecloth. Tie it up with a piece of kitchen string and place in the pot. Sprinkle the salt over the roast.
- Make sure the liquid comes halfway up the sides of the roast. If not, add more wine and water in equal amounts.
- Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and turn the meat occasionally. Simmer slowly until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 3 hours.
- To serve, remove the meat and pull it off the bone in pieces. Place a thick slice of crusty Portuguese orartisan bread in each soup plate, topped with a mint leaf or two. Ladle a generous amount of broth over the bread to soften. Serve the meat over or beside the moistened bread.
Notes
One thing that initially surprised us about this recipe was the impact the spice packet had on the flavor. The combination of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cumin, and the bay leaf give the dish a spicy tang that we reminded us of Moroccan food. It was very noticeable early in the cooking, but mellowed out as time went on. It's a unique flavor that we really enjoyed.