Francesina
Francesina is a classic Florentine dish of leftover boiled beef stewed gently with sweet onions and tomatoes until deeply tender.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy casserole or Dutch oven
- •wooden spoon
- •sharp chef's knife
- •chopping board
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 16 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Peel the onions and slice them thinly into uniform half-moons.
- 2
Warm the extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy casserole over low heat.
- 3
Add the sliced onions, rosemary sprig, and sage leaves to the casserole.
- 4
Cook gently for twenty minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent without browning.
- 5
Cut the cold boiled beef into bite-sized chunks or coarse shreds.
- 6
Add the beef to the softened onions and stir to coat for two minutes.
- 7
Pour in the red wine and simmer until the wine smell dissipates.
- 8
Stir in the passata and warm beef broth, then season with salt and pepper.
- 9
Cover and simmer over low heat for twenty-five minutes until the sauce turns thick and glossy.
- 10
Discard the rosemary sprig and sage leaves before serving warm.
Chef's tips
Cook the onions very slowly so they melt into a sweet base without scorching. If the stew dries out too quickly before the beef is fully tender, splash in a little extra beef broth. Using leftover boiled beef with a bit of fat yields the moistest, most flavourful result.
Ingredient substitutions
- passata (sieved tomatoes) → canned whole peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- dry red wine → dry white wine, which produces a lighter, delicate sauce
- beef broth → vegetable broth or water if meat broth is unavailable
Storage
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or water until piping hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Browning the onions too quickly, which imparts an acrid, bitter flavour to the sauce
- •Using lean, dry cuts of beef without adequate simmering time to soften them
- •Adding too much salt before the broth reduces, making the final dish overly salty
Serving suggestions
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