ANTONINO LABORATORIO DI CUCINA

Recipe Information

Category: Pasta
Style: Sicilian-inspired rustic cooking
Dietary adaptation: No nightshades or legumes
Preparation time: Approximately 25 minutes
Gentle cooking time: Approximately 2 hours 15 minutes, plus initial blanching
Difficulty: Easy — simple preparation, long cooking time

Author’s Note

This recipe came about through improvisation.
I had no particular intention of publishing it.

I had bought some excellent beef shank on special offer at Aldi,
without really knowing what I was going to do with it.
I also had some sweet potatoes that needed to be used.

I simply wanted to prepare something to eat using
the ingredients I already had.

In the end, this improvisation turned out to be
an interesting option for a diet excluding nightshades
and legumes.

However, I must admit that the naturally sweet flavour
of sweet potatoes does not truly replace traditional
potatoes in this kind of preparation.

With floury potatoes and a few chickpeas, the result
would certainly have been more savoury and closer
to traditional Sicilian country cooking.

But this time, the objective was different:
to prepare a simple dish adapted to certain dietary
restrictions, without giving up the pleasure of cooking.

Ingredients

For the Slow-Cooked Beef Sauce

• Approximately 450 g bone-in beef shank
• 250 g sweet potatoes, weighed after peeling
• 100 g red onion
• 100 g yellow onion
• 60 ml white wine
• 10 g extra virgin olive oil
• A little butter
• Good-quality beef stock, as needed
• A few cubes of homemade vegetable extract
• Italcali Sicilian rock salt, to taste
• White pepper, for cooking
• Coarsely ground black pepper, for finishing

For the Pasta

• 80 g Bertolli Mezze Maniche No. 153 per person

My Homemade Vegetable Extract

I prepare a concentrated vegetable extract
using carrots, celery, onions and garlic.

After cooking, I carefully strain the liquid
to remove the fibres and vegetable particles.
I then freeze it in small cubes, which I use
to enrich my stocks and sauces.

This extract contributes a significant part
of the flavour of this preparation.

Method

1. Prepare the Beef Shank

Place the beef shank in water at approximately
80°C (176°F) for 10 minutes.

Remove, rinse and leave to drain for approximately
20 minutes.

2. Cook the Meat in Stock

Prepare a good beef stock, enriched with
a few cubes of homemade vegetable extract.

Add the beef shank and gradually bring
the temperature to between 80 and 90°C
(176–194°F).

Cook gently for approximately 1 hour
and 30 minutes, without a vigorous boil.

3. Sauté the Meat and Onions

Remove the beef shank from the stock,
drain it, separate the meat from the bone
and cut it into pieces approximately
3–4 cm in size.

In a saucepan, heat the butter with
the 10 g of extra virgin olive oil.

Add the sliced red and yellow onions
and cook gently until lightly golden.

Add the beef pieces and allow them
to colour slightly, without excessive browning.

Season with a little Italcali Sicilian
rock salt and white pepper.

4. Deglaze and Continue Cooking

Pour in the 60 ml of slightly warmed
white wine and reduce by half.

Gradually add some of the beef cooking stock.

Continue simmering gently for approximately
45 minutes, until the meat is tender.

5. Add the Sweet Potatoes

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them
into cubes approximately 2 cm in size.

Add them towards the end of cooking.

In my preparation, they began to break down
in less than five minutes, naturally creating
a slightly creamy sauce.

Stop cooking once the desired consistency
has been reached.

6. Cook the Mezze Maniche

Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water,
following the manufacturer’s instructions,
until al dente.

Drain, reserving a little of the pasta
cooking water.

7. Finish the Dish

Reheat the sauce, add the cooked pasta
and toss gently to combine.

If necessary, add a little reserved
pasta water to adjust the consistency.

Serve with the pieces of beef shank
and finish with a little coarsely
ground black pepper.

Culinary Notes

This recipe is loosely inspired by
aggrassato di carne con patate,
a traditional Sicilian meat and potato preparation.

Sweet potatoes have a naturally sweeter
flavour than ordinary potatoes and significantly
change the character of the dish.
They therefore do not reproduce the traditional
taste of Sicilian aggrassato.

Nevertheless, this variation can be suitable
for a diet excluding nightshades and legumes.

The pasta used in this recipe contains gluten.
For a gluten-free diet, choose certified gluten-free
pasta. Whole-wheat pasta and ancient wheat varieties
generally still contain gluten.

Storing the Sauce

The sauce can be prepared in advance.
Personally, I sterilise it using the traditional
method or store it in the freezer.

The pasta is always cooked fresh at mealtime.