Stracotto Fiorentino

Slow-cooked Florentine beef with parsnip purée, artichokes, and sweet peas — a deeply comforting secondi dish rooted in the Italian tradition of patient Sunday cooking.

Secondi Beef - Shoulder Clod Tier 2 - Sous Vide
Stracotto Fiorentino plated with parsnip puree, artichokes, and peas

Ingredients

This base recipe is scaled for 1 serving and can be increased for service planning, event production, or banquet prep.

  • 454 g beef shoulder clod
  • 300 g yellow onion
  • 180 g carrot
  • 150 g celery
  • 150 ml red Burgundy wine
  • 15 g tomato paste
  • 3 g sea salt
  • 1 g black pepper
  • 227 g parsnips
  • 80 g fresh green peas
  • 150 g artichoke (cleaned)
  • Fata Paper (or vacuum pouch)

Method

  1. Roll and tie the beef securely, wrap in Fata Paper or a vacuum pouch, and cook sous vide until meltingly tender.
  2. Prepare a classic Florentine soffritto with onion, carrot, and celery.
  3. Deglaze with red wine and enrich with tomato paste and the beef cooking juices.
  4. Blend and strain the sauce until smooth and refined.
  5. Serve sliced stracotto over parsnip purée with artichokes and sweet peas.
Chef’s Note: Stracotto is one of those dishes that rewards patience. Time is the true seasoning here — the longer, gentler cook transforms a humble cut into something deeply elegant and memorable.

📜 History & Tradition

What a story, stew!

“Al stracótt” is a traditional dish from the Piacenza area, prepared with beef — often round steak with pancetta — marinated for hours in herbs and wine, then slowly cooked in its own rich sauce of wine, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs.

In earlier times, the meat was often larded before cooking and simmered in a special earthenware pot. The preparation was so prized that it was also used as a flavorful filling for anolini pasta.

A Sunday Dish

Since the 19th century, stew has been one of the classic winter Sunday meat dishes of northern and central Italy. Even today, it represents celebration, warmth, and conviviality around the table.

It reheats beautifully and is often even better the next day: the longer it rests, the deeper and more harmonious the flavors become. It is a dish that teaches patience and rewards it generously.

Nutrition (per serving, estimate)
Calories~510 kcal
Fat~22 g
Carbohydrates~28 g
Protein~38 g
Fiber~6 g
Sodium~620 mg
High Protein Gluten Free Slow Cooked