Spezzatino di Vitello
con Piselli
Veal stew with peas
Veal cut into cubes, browned well, then stewed slowly with onion, carrot, and tomato until it falls apart, with sweet peas added toward the end to keep their color. A classic Neapolitan secondo, simple and forgiving, the kind of dish that improves with a slow afternoon on the stove.
Spezzatino — from spezzare, to break into pieces — is the family of Italian stews built on cubed meat, browned first and then simmered slowly until tender. The Neapolitan veal-and-pea version leans on tomato for its base: the meat is browned well in oil, softened onion and carrot go in, a splash of white wine and a ladle of tomato passata bring the sauce together, and everything simmers gently until the veal is fork-tender. The peas go in only toward the end of cooking, so they keep their color and sweetness rather than turning grey and mushy alongside meat that has been cooking for an hour or more.
It is an unglamorous, deeply comforting dish — the sort of thing that does not photograph as well as it eats, and that rewards patience more than skill. The sauce that results, enriched by the collagen released from the meat over a long simmer, is worth having bread on the table to mop up.
Browned, then stewed slowly in tomato until it falls apart. The peas go in last, so they stay sweet and green rather than dissolving into the sauce alongside the meat.
The recipe
For six.
Spezzatino di vitello con piselli — veal, peas, and a slow tomato simmer. Click to enlarge.
1 kg, cut into cubesVeal, stewing cut
300 g, shelled (or frozen)Peas
1, dicedCarrot
1, choppedOnion
To tasteExtra virgin olive oil
½ cupWhite wine
1 cupTomato passata
A handful, choppedFresh parsley
To tasteSalt and black pepper
As neededBroth or water
1
Cut the veal into cubes. Heat a drizzle of oil in a wide, heavy pot and brown the veal well on all sides over medium-high heat.
2
Add the chopped onion and diced carrot to the pot and cook a few minutes until they begin to soften.
3
Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate. Add the tomato passata, season with salt and pepper, and add enough water to come partway up the meat.
4
Cover and simmer gently for about an hour, or until the veal is fork-tender, checking occasionally and adding a little water if it dries out.
5
Add the peas in the last 10–15 minutes of cooking, so they stay tender and bright rather than dissolving. Stir in the parsley just before serving. Serve hot, with bread.
Related
Piselli con pancetta
The same sweet peas, in a simpler contorno with pancetta instead of meat stew. See
the full recipe.
Pasta e piselli
The same peas, folded into a creamy one-pot pasta instead of a meat stew. See
the full recipe.
Buon appetito.
