Piaziola alle Vastese: A Rustic Meat Dish

This is a dish that is easy to make when you want to put a simple, tasty meal on the table quickly. All you need is a little olive oil, an onion, a few ripe tomatoes, and some fresh basil for a marina sauce. Stir fry the vegetables, combine them with thinly sliced pieces of beef and you will have a fantastic meal in 20 minutes. This is a hearty dish that suits the chilly weather. Giancarlo shared his recipe with me one winter evening when there was a particularly sharp wind blowing off the Apennines.

Ingredients for Four

0.5 dl olive oil

.5 kg thinly sliced beef 20 cm long, 10cm wide (one of the inexpensive cuts of beef work well)

1 dl tomato paste

1kg chopped tomatoes, seeds removed

1 medium sized red onion

Basil leaves

Salt to taste

The Procedure

Flatten the meat with a tenderizing mallet.

In a thick bottomed pan heat the oil and sear the meat 1min on each side and then remove it from the pan.

For the marinara - In the same pan combine the onion, tomato and the basil and simmer them to create a  sauce- add a little water. Tomato paste is optional.

Combine the seared meat with the marinara sauce and simmer two or three more minutes.

Serve with a crusty ciabatta bread,  

For the contorni – Serve a thinly sliced fennel bulb with Stracciatella or Mozzarela cheese.