boiled meat with "pearà" sauce

During the cold winter months, boiled meat with "pearà" sauce emerges as a dish rich in tradition, typical of Venetian cuisine. This second course stands out for its meticulous preparation, where unskimmed beef broth becomes the perfect base to enhance the flavor of the meat. The bone marrow, slowly melted in an earthenware or enameled iron pot, gives a unique creaminess to the sauce, while the stale bread, made crispy in the oven, offers a texture that beautifully complements the dish. The "pearà", with its peppery aroma and richness from the marrow, proves to be the ideal accompaniment for the boiled meat, creating a blend of flavors that invites a family Sunday lunch. This recipe is not just a way to rediscover the authentic tastes of Veneto, but also represents an opportunity to gather around the table, sharing moments of joy and conviviality.

Collect the unskimmed broth from a good piece of boiled beef. Take stale bread and turn it into a biscuit in the oven, without burning it. Take a pot made of earthenware or enameled iron and gently heat the bone marrow from beef, veal, and pork, or just from beef, and melt it raw. You can also use marrow taken from boiled osso buco. Mix it with butter. When the marrow has melted with the heat, pour in a ladleful of hot broth per person, ensuring that the cooking continuity is not interrupted. After a few minutes of boiling, add a handful of grated bread per person, allowing it to simmer very slowly for at least an hour and a half to two hours. A quarter of an hour before removing from the heat, add fine and granular pepper. At this point, to give the right creamy consistency to the pearà, add some broth or grated bread. Keep in mind that cooling even slightly changes the consistency of the mixture. If it is dense during full cooking, upon cooling, the mixture will certainly become too thick and vice versa. Serve at the warmest possible temperature, possibly using a flame or plate warmer. It is important to remember that the marrow also tends to solidify as it loses heat. This sauce has a very pleasant taste, allowing each person to decide the amount of pepper, but do not overdo it with the spiciness of the mixture. It is a perfect complement for mixed boiled meats and boiled capon, even on festive occasions, and also pairs wonderfully with well-toasted polenta crostini over the grill.