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Scottiglia is a Tuscan Mixed Meat Stew of beef, pork, chicken and veal that is cooked until fork-tender and delicious!
Hi Everyone – it’s Jack. Martha asked me to share the story behind our recipe for Scottiglia (an Italian Mixed Meat Stew).
One day, back in my food service days, I was conducting a production meeting with my chef and some senior kitchen and catering managers. We had just completed a series of catered, evening events, and we had a walk-in freezer full of various cuts of meat. Nothing in a professional kitchen should ever go to waste – so I challenged my team to get inventive, and find a way to use up all the odds and ends of meat we had in the freezer.
Our head chef immediately said “Scottiglia!” No one – including myself – had heard of Scottiglia before, so he explained that Scottiglia is an Italian “mixed meat stew.”
The story goes that farmers in Tuscany would get together and combine their meat ‘odds and ends’ after selling their prime cuts at the market.
The term Scottiglia literally means ‘to sear or braise’ in Italian and those cooking methods are how this stew is prepared (back then it was in a pot over a wood fire in a farm house). In addition to the beef, pork, veal, or chicken, tomatoes might be added to the stew (depending on which Tuscan family was cooking that day) as well as various vegetables.
Our version includes beef, pork, chicken and veal that is cooked until fork-tender in a beefy tomato broth. We also included some carrots and onions for more earthy flavor.
Scottiglia is tender, rich and absolutely delicious – and it’s a dish that any meat lover will thoroughly enjoy! Our Scottiglia is served over a savory soft polenta.
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Scottiglia
Scottiglia is a Tuscan Mixed Meat Stew of beef, pork, chicken and veal that is cooked until fork-tender and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 pound chuck, cut into large pieces (2” or larger)
- 1 pound pork butt, cut into large pieces (2” or larger)
- 1 pound veal stew meat
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into quarters
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dry rosemary
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 1/4 pounds onion cut into thick vertical slices
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 2 cups red wine, such as merlot
- 1 28–ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces on the bias
- 1 6–ounce can tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Savory Soft Polenta (see recipe here)
Instructions
- Lay all four meats on your cutting board, pat dry and salt, pepper and rosemary each side.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, place two tablespoons of the oil and heat until the oil is shimmering.
- Have a five quart Dutch oven standing by.
- Cook one meat at a time in the hot oil cooking each side for about 3-4 minutes per side. Make sure the meat is not over crowded and don’t touch it until it is time to turn. Turn each piece and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until nice and browned. Transfer to the Dutch oven. Repeat for the second meat and before cooking the third meat, add the remaining oil. Save the chicken for last and only sear for about 2 minutes per side.
- Once the last meat is in the Dutch oven, place the onions and garlic into the hot saute pan and cook for three minutes.
- Add the red wine and scrape the pan bottom with a wooden spoon. Cook to evaporate the wine by half then add the onion and wine mixture to the Dutch oven. You are done with the saute pan.
- To the Dutch oven, add tomatoes, broth and bay leaves, cover and place into the preheated oven for two hours.
- After two hours add carrots and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 30 more minutes or until carrots are tender.
- While the stew cooks for the last 30 minutes, in a medium sauce pan, melt butter and add flour over medium heat. Cook for five minutes stirring often with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
- If serving over polenta, make that now, (see recipe here).
- Once the stew comes out of the oven, turn the heat back on the butter and flour mixture and ladle in liquid from the stew and whip to make a thick sauce. Keep adding liquid until the mixture is no longer paste like. Transfer that back into the stew and gently stir to combine.
- Serve with our Savory Soft Polenta.
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