Day 119

My new boyfriend cook host is David Rocco from Florence, Italy.
I love how uncomplicated his recipes are.
I modified this to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand.
My husband loved it!

SPEZZATINO DI MANZO AL CIOCCOLATO:
BEEF STEW WITH CHOCOLATE
Brown till crispy 4 ounces of chopped pancetta in oil in a pan
Put about 1/2 cup flour in a bag and add
Salt and pepper
Perhaps some cumin
5 spice mix
Cayenne
Just about anything you desire
Place 2 pounds of stewing beef cut into 1 inch cubes into bag
Dredge
Shake off excess flour and add to hot oil and pancetta in pan
Sear on all sides
Add some fresh herbs:
Sage, thyme, oregano,or marjoram
Deglaze the pan by adding almost a cup of
Sherry, brandy, or red wine
Have a pan with 4 cups of broth handy
(I actually used water!)
After alcohol has reduced to half
add a few ladles of liquid to the pan
Now add the secret ingredient:
1 bar of dark chocolate chopped (Hershey's Special Dark)
Stir in until melted.
Add a few more ladles of broth.
Allow to simmer gently over medium heat 1 hour until tender.
adding more liquid if necessary.

This is an incredible rich sauce with fork tender beef.
Sprinkle chopped parsley over for a touch of color before serving.