Spezzatino is what we made when the peas came in and the meat budget was whatever was left over. Beef shoulder, the cut no one wanted, braised low for an hour and a half until it stops fighting the fork. Peas go in at the end, just long enough to warm through and turn bright. The sauce is the whole point: thick, wine-dark, flour-thickened from the dredge at the start.
This is the version that shows up in kitchens across central and northern Italy, with small differences between households: some use veal for a lighter result, some skip the tomato paste and keep it in bianco (white), some add potatoes. We kept it close to the most common version, the one that makes sense on a weeknight in April when peas are in season and you have two hours to let something sit on the stove.
Serve it with bread. Enough bread. The sauce-to-bread ratio is the real recipe here.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Finely mince the onion, carrot, and celery. Set aside. Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel, then dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the beef in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper.
Deglaze with 3.5 fl oz of white wine. Let it bubble and reduce until the alcohol smell fades, about 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the minced vegetables to the pot and stir to coat them in the pan juices.
Stir in the tomato paste, then pour in the hot broth. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 85 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of hot water or broth if the sauce reduces too much and the bottom looks dry.
Remove the lid. Add the peas and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes (10 minutes if using fresh peas), until the peas are bright and just tender but not mushy.
Taste and adjust salt. Scatter torn flat-leaf parsley over the top and serve from the pot, with crusty bread alongside to catch the sauce.
You made Spezzatino con Piselli. Time to eat.
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The flour on the meat does two things: it helps the beef brown faster without steaming, and it thickens the sauce slowly as it braises. If your sauce still looks thin at the 85-minute mark, pull the lid off and let it reduce for another 10 minutes before adding the peas. The sauce should coat a spoon lightly, not pour like water.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
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