Rich and peppery, that’s what Tuscan Beef Stew with Red Wine is all about. Locally known as ‘Peposo,’ it’s a luscious, comfort dish that will tick all the boxes for cozy-up food. Yum!
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As ossobuco is to Lombardy, so is peposo to Tuscany — a delicious comfort dish packed with flavor in every bite of that tender chunk of beef.
Peposo is referred to by various names:
- Tuscan beef stew
- Pepper beef stew
- Tuscan peppery stew
As you can probably tell, pepper (i.e., peppercorns) and red wine are the primary flavor base for this stew. Both ingredients tell you that it’s a warming dish.
Do not think peposo is heavy, though. It is definitely not. It will only feel heavy depending on what you serve with it.
IF YOU WANT MORE AUTHENTIC ITALIAN RECIPES FROM TUSCANY, THEN YOU WILL LOVE THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Beef – I strongly suggest getting the chuck (front shoulder part) because it has excellent flavor with all the connective tissues and fat. Please do not go for the lean cuts; they end up dry when cooked for hours.
- Tomato sauce – go for your favorite brand for this peposo recipe.
- Garlic – minced or sliced thinly.
- Peppercorns – black whole peppercorns for crushing; preparing it this way is crucial to preparing peposo.
- Salt – make sure you use it generously for seasoning the beef.
- Dry red wine – as you can see in the image above, I used Chianti in this peposo recipe because that is how it’s done in the region.
Preparation
Start preparing your peposo by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Crush the peppercorns; do not ground them (photos 1 & 2).
Using a Dutch oven, combine beef with the crushed peppercorns and add salt (photo 3).
Add garlic and tomato sauce (photo 4).
Pour red wine into the beef. You might not need to use the entire bottle; it should be just enough to cover the meat (photo 5).
Mix to combine all the ingredients for peposo, then cover with the lid.
Place pepper beef stew in the oven for three hours.
Take it out of the oven, taste, and adjust seasoning.
Mix, place the lid back on, and return in the oven for another thirty minutes.
Transfer your peposo into bowls or plates.
Serve.
Helpful tips
- You can also use mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns, but make sure you don’t pound it so they don’t result in ground (finer) pepper.
- If you are not a fan of garlic, keep them whole when you add them. You can then pick and remove them later when you are adjusting the seasoning of the sauce of your Tuscan beef stew.
- Do not pour the wine all at once. You should only use enough to cover the beef. For your reference, I only used two cups of red wine for this peposo recipe.
Recipe variation
- Tomato paste. Some add at least a tablespoon of tomato paste with the tomato sauce when they make peposo, so feel free to do that.
- Other types of red wine. While Chianti is traditionally used for making this Tuscan beef stew, you can, of course, use other types — but it will not be the same as how the locals prepare it.
FAQs
Yes, you can.
Depending on the size of the cuts of beef, you might need to cook your peposo for a longer time.
Tuscan bread goes excellently with peposo because it absorbs all the flavor of the peppery beef stew.
You don’t even need to toast it, just take a chunk and dip it in the sauce. Yum!
Looks absolutely delicious right? Give peposo a try this weekend, and let me know what you think! 🙂
📖 Recipe
Peposo Recipe (Tuscan Beef Stew with Red Wine)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 3/4 tbsp peppercorns
- 2 lbs beef (chuck)
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- bottle dry red wine
Instructions
- Start preparing peposo by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Crush the peppercorns for this peppery beef stew — do not ground them.
- In a Dutch oven, combine beef with the crushed peppercorns and salt.
- Add garlic and tomato sauce.
- Pour red wine into the beef. (You might not need to use the entire bottle; it should be just enough to cover the meat).
- Mix to combine all the ingredients then cover with the lid.
- Place in the oven for 3 hours.
- Take out of the oven, taste your peposo, and adjust seasoning if required.
- Mix, place the lid back on, and return in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Transfer your peposo into bowls or plates.
- Serve.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: You can also use mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns, but make sure you don’t pound it so they don’t result in ground (finer) pepper.
- Cook’s Tip #2: If you are not a fan of garlic, keep them whole when you add them. You can then pick and remove them later when you are adjusting the seasoning of your peposo sauce.
- Cook’s Tip #3: Do not pour the wine all at once. You should only use enough to cover the beef. For your reference, I only used two cups of red wine in this peposo recipe.
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