Brasato di Manzo al Barolo con Cipolle Rosse di Tropea

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg beef rump or chuck, tied into a compact joint
• 750 ml Barolo DOCG, full bottle; not cooking wine
• For the marinade
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, bruised
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 black peppercorns, whole
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 30 ml neutral oil
• 400 g Tropea red onions, quartered lengthways
• 10 g dark chocolate (85% cocoa), finely chopped
• to taste fine sea salt

Method

1. 1
   Place the beef in a close-fitting non-reactive container with the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Pour over the Barolo, cover and refrigerate for 24–48 hours, turning the joint once. The tannins begin to tenderise the outer fibres; the wine will deepen in colour.
2. 2
   Lift the beef from the marinade and pat it completely dry with kitchen paper. Reserve the marinade vegetables but discard the liquid — using the marinade as the braising liquid introduces blood proteins that make the sauce bitter and cloudy. This step decides whether the subsequent browning succeeds or fails.
3. 3
   Heat the butter and oil together in a heavy-based casserole over a high flame until the butter foam subsides. Brown the entire surface of the beef, turning deliberately to build a deep mahogany crust on every face. This is where the dish lives or dies: the crust is the colour and body of the final sauce. The beef is ready to turn when each face releases cleanly from the pan.
4. 4
   Remove the beef and reduce the heat to medium. Add the reserved marinade vegetables to the casserole and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly coloured. Return the beef, pour over a fresh 750 ml of Barolo — enough to cover the joint — and season with salt. Bring to a bare simmer.
5. 5
   Cover the casserole with its lid and transfer to an oven at 160 °C. Braise for 2 hours 20 minutes, turning the joint once at the halfway point. The liquid should hold a lazy, barely visible tremor — any vigorous boil seizes the fibres and produces tough, dry meat.
6. 6
   Add the quartered Tropea onions to the casserole, nestling them around the beef. Return the lid and continue braising for a further 40 minutes. The onions are done when they are yielding but still hold their shape — they should provide sweet contrast, not dissolve into the sauce.
7. 7
   Transfer the beef and onions to a warm platter and tent loosely with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before carving — cutting too early releases all the juices. Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables lightly. Reduce over a high heat, skimming as needed, until the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in the dark chocolate off the heat until fully incorporated; the sauce should be almost black, glossy and baroque in depth.
8. 8
   Carve the beef across the grain into thick slices. Arrange on warmed plates with the Tropea onions. Spoon the reduced sauce generously over. Serve immediately alongside creamy polenta or potato purée.