A classic winter braise in Italy is the Brasato al Barolo. It simply means beef braised in Barolo wine and it takes hours to cook. Since not everyone has that kind of time, we came up with a scuie, scuie version. The Italian translation is hurry, hurry—and in an Italian kitchen, scuie, scuie refers to a dish that is made quickly and easily. Turn to this recipe when you simply don’t have three to four hours, yet you want to produce a mouthwatering classic!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
- 1½ pounds red seedless grapes, washed and stemmed
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- ¾ cup red wine (Sangiovese recommended)
- Kosher salt
- 2–4 (8 ounce) medium russet potatoes
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Maldon Sea Salt or other flaky sea salt
- 2–4 (12–14 ounce) rib eye steaks
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Mixed greens for serving
Preparation
For the vintner’s sauce, heat olive oil and garlic in a medium pan until garlic is lightly browned. Add the shallots and onions and continue to cook until translucent and soft (about 8 minutes). The onions will cook way down in the next step.
Add the grapes, thyme, balsamic vinegar, red wine and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the grapes burst and release their liquid (about 20–25 minutes).
Continue to simmer until thickened. Remove thyme sprigs, add salt to taste and set aside.
For the baked potatoes: Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash and lightly scrub the potatoes. Using a fork, pierce each potato all over. Place a wire cooling rack on a lined sheet pan. Roast the potatoes on the rack for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush potatoes all over with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of Maldon salt. Return to the oven for 25 more minutes until they pierce easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside until ready to serve.
To serve, slice the potato down the middle, lengthwise, making sure not to cut the potato completely in half. Using two forks, gently crumble the potato inside the skin, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with more salt.
Preheat a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat for 10 minutes. Season the steaks liberally with kosher salt. Add the steaks to the hot pan and cook for 3–5 minutes without moving the steaks. (Do this in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan).
Flip and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes. Remove the steaks to a plate when internal temperature reaches 120°F and allow to rest for a minimum of 2 minutes for rare to medium-rare steaks. (For medium, add 1 minute cooking time to each side during this step.)
To serve, slice steaks and place over a bed of the vintner’s sauce. Season with a drizzle of quality extra-virgin olive oil, flaky salt, a sprig of fresh thyme and plate with a baked potato and mixed greens.
