Redondo de Ternera en Salsa Castellana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy casserole or Dutch oven, 26 to 28cm
• •Kitchen string, if the butcher has not tied the meat
• •Tongs
• •Blender or immersion blender
• •Sharp carving knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the meat

   Pat the veal round dry and rub it all over with the 10g salt and the pepper. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes while you slice the vegetables. Pésalo, no lo adivines: the salt matters because this is a thick, lean cut.

2. 2

   Brown it well

   Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on every side, turning it patiently until the outside is deep golden, 10 to 12 minutes in all. Do not hurry this part; the browned meat and the browned oil are the first layer of the sauce.

   Use tongs, not a fork. Piercing the meat before the braise only helps the juices escape.
3. 3

   Cook the onions

   Lift the meat to a plate. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onions, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf to the same casserole. Cook slowly, scraping up the browned bits, until the onion is dark gold and jammy, 25 to 30 minutes. This is the sofrito, the slow onion base, and it is where the sweetness of the sauce comes from.

4. 4

   Build the sauce

   Stir in the pimentón for 20 seconds, just until it smells warm, then add the flour if you want a thicker sauce. Pour in the brandy, if using, and let it bubble for 1 minute. Add the white wine and simmer until it loses its sharp smell, about 3 minutes.

5. 5

   Braise slowly

   Return the veal to the casserole and pour in the hot stock. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat, not cover it. Bring it to the gentlest simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, turning the meat every 30 minutes, until a skewer goes in with little resistance.

6. 6

   Rest in sauce

   Turn off the heat and leave the meat to rest in the covered casserole for at least 30 minutes, or cool it completely if you are making it ahead. This rest is not decoration. It lets the lean meat firm up and keep its juices, so you can slice it thin and clean.

7. 7

   Blend and slice

   Lift out the meat and remove the string. Discard the bay leaf. Blend the vegetables and cooking liquid into a smooth sauce, then taste for salt. Slice the meat thinly across the grain, about 5mm thick, and lay the slices back into the sauce.

8. 8

   Warm gently

   Warm the sliced meat in the sauce over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the casserole now and then so the slices do not catch. Serve with fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, or plain rice. The sauce should be glossy, brown, and thick enough to cling to the meat.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for redondo de ternera, tied. If you are outside Spain, beef eye of round or top round is the honest substitute. It will be a little stronger in flavor and may take longer, so cook to tenderness, not to the clock.
• •Do not slice it hot from the pot. This is the one place impatience ruins the dish. Rest it, slice it thin, and rewarm it in the sauce.
• •White wine is usual in many home kitchens, but a light red works too if that is what you have open. Use a dry wine, not sweet cooking wine.
• •This is better the next day. The sauce settles, the meat slices more neatly, and the whole casserole tastes as if you did more work than you did.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the whole braise up to 2 days ahead, cool the meat in its sauce, then slice it cold for the cleanest pieces.
• •Reheat the sliced meat gently in the sauce over low heat. Add a splash of water or stock only if the sauce has thickened too much.
• •Leftovers keep 3 days covered in the refrigerator and are excellent tucked into bread with a spoonful of the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)