Boiled Beef with Salsa Verde from Piedmont
Traditional Italian Recipe with Fresh Parsley Sauce
Jun 28, 2009
This dish from the Piedmont region of Italy, gives you a two course meal: after the main course of bollito (boiled beef), you will end up with the broth (brodo), which is used for the next course. You eat the meat first and then the broth (just like fondue Chinois). The recipe comes from Paolo Arrigo’s cookery book From Seed to Plate (pub. Simon and Schuster, £20 hardback) and appears here with permission. Paolo’s broth is eaten with a raw egg stirred into it. The egg, he specifies, must be very fresh – not one that’s been lurking in the fridge for a month!
The beef will be really tender and can be served sprinkled with large sea salt crystals, the salsa verde (called ‘bagnet verde’ in Piedmont), a good Barolo or other full-bodied wine and a rustic loaf of bread, cut thickly. Put olive oil on the table instead of butter.
When making the croutons for the broth, fry the garlic first in the oil but don’t let it burn or it will taste bitter. Discard the garlic before frying the bread until golden but, again, not too brown.
Paolo Arrigo is the head of Seeds of Italy, and he recommends specific varieties of vegetables and herbs. If you can't get hold of them, then just use whatever variety is available.
Boiled Beef with Salsa Verde from Piedmont - Recipe
Bollito con Salsa Verde alla Piemontese
Ingredients – Serves 4
For the Bollito
- 2 large carrots (Nantese)
- 2 medium onions (Dorato di Milano)
- 2 celery sticks (Dorato d’Asti), leaves on
- 800g brisket of beef
- 6-7 black peppercorns
- 1.5 litres of water
- 1 bouquet garni
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the salsa verde
- A good handful of flat-leaf parsley (Gigante di Napoli), chopped
- 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
- 1 small clove of garlic (Bianco Veneto)
- 1 small onion
- 1 thick slice of bread, crusts removed, soaked in wine vinegar
- 3 anchovies or 8cm anchovy paste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Olive oil
- Wine vinegar
For the brodo (broth)
- 1 stock cube (optional)
- 4 medium fresh eggs
- Chopped parsley
- Croutons to serve, made from diced bread dried in olive oil flavoured with a clove of garlic
Method
- To make the bollito, wash the vegetables, put all the ingredients into a large pan and bring to a simmer. Don’t be tempted to trim the fat on the beef – it’s needed and the broth with still be only about 2 per cent fat! When making all meat broths you will need to remove the scum that appears, which you can do with tablespoon and a mug. It will take 5 minutes or so but the broth will be clearer and taste better, so it’s worth doing.
- When there is little or no more scum, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. It doesn’t matter if the meat sticks out from the water a little, as being covered it will cook through, but if this is the case do turn it over during cooking.
- Meanwhile, make the salsa verde by putting all the ingredients except the oil and vinegar into a blender and whizzing together until fairly smooth. Then add some olive oil and vinegar.
- After 2 hours, check the seasoning of the brodo (broth). If it still tastes watery you can add a stock cube to lift the broth – preferably chicken, as beef will be too overpowering.
- Cut the meat diagonally into slices and arrange on serving plates with the halved vegetables. Sprinkle some sea salt over the meat and then add some of the salsa verde.
- Heat the broth through until piping hot and then spoon it into four bowls. Break an egg into each bowl, sprinkle some parsley on top and bring straight away to the table. The egg will half cook through (this is why they need to be really fresh) and remain half liquid. While the eggs enrich the soup it is also surprisingly refreshing. Serve the croutons alongside the soup.
Try some more of Paolo Arrigo's recipes ffrom From Seed to Plate:
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