The recipe for Peposo alla Fornacina
Peposo is a recipe representative of archaeological cuisine, a dish that many chefs have tried their hand at throughout their time in the kitchen. It is said that Filippo Brunelleschi, who had come to Impruneta to supervise the production of terracotta tiles (which would be used to top the Florence Cathedral), was bewitched by a local recipe. The Impruneta “Fornacini” (those cooked the tiles in the furnaces) ate a meat dish cooked in an earthenware pot. This ancient delicacy continues to be passed down from generation to generation to this day.
Here we share a recipe for Peposo alla Fornacina a.k.a. Peposo all’Imprunetina (a registered trademark) by the Municipality of Impruneta and the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Academy of Cuisine). More modern custom calls for the dish to be cooked in the oven for many hours, or else in an earthenware pot on the stove.
Ingredients
Only the following ingredients are used for Peposo alla Fornacina:
- Beef reared in Tuscany
- Peppercorns (in a small gauze bag if you wish so they can eventually be discarded)
- Garlic (optional)
- Chianti wine
Preparation
Cut the meat into walnut-sized chunks to be browned in a pan (in its own fat).
Once the meat is browned, add in the red wine, enough to cover it thoroughly, along with the peppercorns and garlic. Next, add in some salt.
Whether you choose to cook the dish in the oven or on the stove (over a very low flame with a heat diffuser), you must continue until the meat falls apart. Once done, the meat should look like a cream to be spread on slices of toasted Tuscan bread.
