Renaissance-era dishes in Montalcino

Anyone staying in Montalcino would be well-advised to enjoy at least one meal at Boccon di Vino restaurant, just minutes from town on the road towards Siena.  The Fiorani family have been running the restaurant since 1992 and it is a Montalcino institution, frequented by many producers of Brunello. Summer is a particularly nice time to visit, when the tables on the patio are set up and a breath-taking view of Val D’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004, is the setting for your meal.Wine Spectator has said that “owner Mario Fiorani’s passion for resurrecting recipes from Tuscany’s past makes this the most interesting place to eat in Montalcino.”  With the traditional style of our wine making, we turned to Mario to get his advice on what to pair with our 2006 Riserva Brunello.L’Antico Peposo is a 15th century Tuscan recipe created by the Florentine cooks whose job was to cater the meals for the workforce constructing Brunelleschi’s famous cupola on the Duomo in Florence. They combined the use of cheaper cuts of beef, such as beef cheek, with a long cooking time to make the meat juicy and tender.  At Boccon di Vino, this dish has been a constant on the menu since their very beginning.

L'Antico Peposo - Pair with Il Palazzone 2006 Riserva Brunello from Boccon di VinoVia Traversa dei Monti, 201Montalcino+39 0577 84 82 33Ingredients Serves 4

1 pound beef cheek, trimmed of fat and cut into walnut sized cubesApproximately

2 cups Vino Rosso from Montalcino (enough to cover the meat)

Black peppercorns

Garlic2-3 cloves

Wild fennel flower (or finely ground fennel seeds as a substitute)

Salt

The exact amount of the herb mixture is up to your personal taste.  No fat (including butter or extra virgin olive oil) is needed for this dish.

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.

Combine peppercorns, garlic, cloves and wild fennel flowers in a cheesecloth sack

.Marinate the trimmed beef cubes in a casserole dish with salt, the herbs in the cheesecloth and enough red wine to cover all the meat.

After about three hours of marinating, cover the casserole dish and put it in the oven. 

If the lid does not have an opening for air to escape, then the lid should be propped open with a wooden spoon.

Cook the meat in the center of the oven for around 4 hours, until the meat is savory and tender. 

The final taste of this thick stew will be strong and spicy, which will nicely echo the flavour profile of the wine.

Serve with a side of soft polenta.