Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

When we talk about dishes which identify the Chianti territory, “Il Peposo di Impruneta” must be included . It was born from the furnaces where terra-cotta was cooked (the terra-cotta of Brunelleschi’s Dome), and has arrived to us today through a series of modifications and re- readings.

It is a dish that is profoundly loved by the people of Impruneta. A few years ago, the Italian Academy of Cuisine, in collaboration with the town of Impruneta, redrafted the rules of the antique recipe, even creating a logo of “Peposo all’Imprunetina” which was deposited in the office of brands and patents of the Chamber of Commerce.

It is a recipe that certifies a truth: the birth of the Peposo is dated before the discovery of America, therefore born without the addition of tomato.

Garlic, salt, pepper, water, red wine, beef muscle and fat. These ingredients are put together and cooked for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. If you want to begin cooking the peposo without wine, you can start with water and add wine in the last hour and a half of cooking time.

Back in the day, Peposo was used to utilize unwanted cuts of meat, probably rancid from the lack of preservatives. By adding garlic and wine, together with the long hours of cooking at the mouth of the furnace, the meat was rendered edible.

Legend has it that since pepper was a precious spice, whole grains were used and then recuperated during the meal and reused.

Cooked in this way, Peposo became almost a cream to be spread on bread. Fortunately, today we can conserve meat in the refrigerator.

WeChianti’s recipe follows. It is a recipe that uses tomato, an added ingredient of Impruneta families.

For 4 people: 1 kg muscle from the shin of the beef beef fat 400 grams of ground peeled tomatoes 5-6 cloves of garlic (or to taste) salt t teaspoons of ground pepper water 1 or 2 glasses of red wine.

In a deep pan, put meat, fat (no oil!), garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover with cold water and put on stove, cooking on a slow flame for about 2 hours. After 2 hours, add wine and cook for another hour and a half.

We suggest serving it with mashed potatoes (boiled potatoes, mashed into a cream and seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and chopped parsley).