Peposo - Slow Cooked, Peppery Veal Stew

Originally from Tuscany, Peposo is a meaty, peppery, spicy stew that is slow food at its best.

 As with most recipes in Italy, the ingredients vary town to town. In our area of Le Marche we use wine & juniper berries creating a rich bold flavor without using tomatoes. Serve as a stew or pile-on the tender meat onto toasty bruschetta.

Peposo

5 1/2 lbs. of shank on the bone (veal, lamb or pork)
20 garlic cloves, peeled
4 heaping tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
couple of juniper berries
2 bottles of Chianti or other red wine
2 bay leaves

Slice your meat into chunky slabs & get it all off the bone (save the bone for later).  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a large pan, big enough to hold all the ingredients, place a layer of the sliced meat at the bottom of the pan, cover with a few cloves of garlic, sprinkle with pepper & salt and rosemary. Repeat starting with the meat & keep layering until the pot is almost full.

Pour wine over the top to cover, add the bone & the bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, cover tightly with a layer of foil & the pot lid, place in the preheated oven for 6 hours or until tender.  If you want to cook the stew overnight (as many Italians do), lower the temp to 275F and cook for 8 hours or more, until the meat is moist & tender, falling apart.  Make sure the foil is well sealed to keep all the moisture in.

Once the stew is done, remove the foil, skim off fat from the surface and remove the bone, the bay leaves & rosemary twigs.  The meat should be super soft & juicy with a rich & powerful flavor. Taste & season if it needs it. Breakup the pieces of meat. Serve a ladleful of stew on toasted bruschetta & a drizzle of olive oil or serve with potatoes or kale.