Braised beef shoulder with shallot sauce

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 ½ kg beef shoulder
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 3 onions
• 1 carrot(s)
• ¼ celery root
• ½ stalk(s) leek
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 bottles of red wine, dry
• 3 bay leaves
• 30 shallots, peeled, fried
• ½ bunch rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 hours; Total time approx. 5 hours 30 minutes

in the style of Brasato – braised for five hours

Salt the beef shoulder and sear it on all sides in a tablespoon of clarified butter. Remove the meat from the roasting pan and brown the cleaned soup vegetables in it. Add the tomato paste and the peeled and crushed tomatoes and sear briefly. Deglaze with red wine and bring to a boil. Add the meat and bay leaves to the stock and cook, covered, for 1.5 hours at 180°C (top/bottom heat). Then reduce the temperature to 110°C (230°F) and braise for a further three hours. You can significantly shorten the cooking time by using a higher temperature. However, the lower temperature produces more tender meat. Test the firmness of the meat with a meat fork or a sharp knife. You should feel almost no resistance when inserted. If the result is not satisfactory, simply let it braise for another hour. Keep the meat warm. Purée the sauce with an immersion blender and pass it through a fine sieve. Add the whole, fried shallots and the finely chopped rosemary sprigs to the sauce. Reduce the sauce for half an hour, until the shallots have softened. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. If it’s too acidic, neutralize it with a pinch of sugar. Cut the meat into thick slices and pour the sauce over it to serve. A few shallots should also be added. We served it with mashed potatoes and celery.