Carbonade Valdostana, Spiced Red Wine Beef Stew

Carbonade Valdostana is a rich and hearty beef stew from the Aosta Valley. This good wintery dish is made with a whole bottle of red wine, festive spices such as cinnamon and cloves, herbs and onions. It's suited to a cosy night in, served with creamy polenta.

The Aosta Valley situated in the Italian Alps is well known for its rustic, hearty and comforting dishes such as Zuppa alla Valpellinese and Fontina cheese risotto.

Carbonade or Carbonada (not to be confused with Carbonara) is another great example of Aostan comfort food.

Traditionally made with beef preserved in salt this dish is full of flavour from red wine, herbs and good fragrant spices.

It's served on a bed of creamy polenta which is so worth making it makes this dish extra comforting. Alternatively, mashed potatoes would work well.

Below, is our favourite way of making it. To get as close to the authentic dish as possible use a red wine from the Aosta Valley such as Torette but a good northern Italian wine will work well. We used Barbera d'Asti.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Beef brisket or chuck – if using beef chuck make sure it has enough fat marbling through it so it's not too lean.
• Italian red wine – Use a northern Italian red wine if possible, we used Barbera d'Asti.
• White onions – you can also use brown onions.
• Cloves, juniper berries and nutmeg – these add so much warmth and flavour.
• Sage and bay leaf – We love sage in this dish, some recipes add fresh thyme.
• Flour – this is to coat the beef and help thicken the sauce slightly.
• Butter – Carbonade is traditionally cooked in butter as is a lot of northern Italian dishes. Butter can burn easily so you can add a drizzle of olive oil to stop that happening.

Step by step photos and instructions

This is a visual guide to help you with each step. For the full written recipe, ingredient amounts and tips scroll to the recipe card below.

1. Brown the beef – Salt the beef well then lightly dust it in flour making sure to shake off any excess. Melt half of the butter with a drizzle of oil in a Dutch oven and brown the meat in batches on both sides, remove to a plate (photos 1-3).

1. Saute the onions – when the beef is done, add the other half of the butter and another drizzle of oil to the pot. Add the sliced onions with all the herbs and spices and saute, stirring often until softened (photos 4 and 5).
2. Add beef and wine – add the beef back to the pot with all its juices and add a splash of red wine. Let it bubble and deglaze the pot, scraping any brown bits from the bottom. Add the rest of the wine and cover the pot with a lid leaving it slightly ajar. Cook for 2 hours (photos 6-8).

1. Uncover – after 2 hours uncover the pot and cook for a further 30 minutes until reduced slightly. Serve with creamy polenta or mashed potatoes (photos 9 and 10).

More comforting Italian recipes to try

Mains

Peposo – Tuscan Red Wine Beef Stew

Mains

Zuppa alla Valpellinese (Cheese and Cabbage Casserole)

Pasta

Pasta alla Norcina (Creamy Sausage and Truffle Pasta)

Italian Ragu and Stews

Italian Beef Stew with Potatoes (Spezzatino di Manzo)

Ingredients

Makes 4 - 6 servings

• 1 kg/ 2 lbs beef chuck or brisket (make sure it's not too lean)
• all-purpose flour (for dusting)
• 2 white onions (cut into slices (medium thickness))
• 1 bottle Italian red wine ((we used Barbera d'Asti))
• 3 cloves
• 4 juniper berries
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5-6 sage leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Equipment

• Heavy based pot or Dutch oven

Method

1. If not already, cut the beef into medium-sized chunks and salt it generously. Dust the beef in flour shaking off any excess.

2. Heat half the butter with a drizzle of olive oil in a heavy-based pot, once melted, cook the beef in batches until browned. Set aside on a plate.

3. Add the other half of butter and another drizzle of olive oil and add the sliced onion with all of the herbs and spices. Cook the onions with the herbs and spices on a medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes until softened.

4. Add the beef back in with any juices and add a splash of red wine. Let it bubble and delaze the pot, scraping any brown bits for a few seconds. Add the remaining bottle of red wine. Bring to a simmer then turn down low. Cover the pot leaving the lid a jar and cook the stew for 2 hours.

5. Uncover the pot completely then let the stew simmer for another 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.

6. Serve with creamy polenta.

Kitchen notes

• Don't use too much flour shake off all the excess so the beef is lightly coated.
• Spices feel free to adjust the herbs and spices to your own preference. Some recipes use rosemary or thyme which is a nice addition.
• Serving suggestion As with most stews, this tastes even better the next day. Let it cool completely, refrigerate then heat up the next day and serve with polenta.
• Leftovers leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.