donkey stew in the country style

With the arrival of winter, Lombard cuisine warms up with hearty and enveloping dishes, such as donkey stew in the country style. This second course, typical of peasant traditions, celebrates donkey meat, an ingredient with flavorful and tender flesh, perfect for long cooking times. The technique of stew, which requires slow cooking in a rich sauce of wine and aromas, allows the flavors to blend into a perfect harmony, enhancing the juiciness of the meat. Prepared with a sauté of onions, celery, and carrots, this dish is wonderfully suited for a family Sunday lunch, accompanied by mashed potatoes or polenta. The cloves and nutmeg add an aromatic touch that evokes recipes from the Lombard tradition, making each bite a rich and satisfying taste experience. In a covered pot, everything cooks slowly, allowing the meat to become so tender that it melts in your mouth, perfect for warming up cold winter days.

Prepare a sauté with oil and butter using onions, celery, and carrots. Stick the meat with cloves and garlic cloves. Introduce the meat, dusted with nutmeg, into the pot and brown it for about ten minutes. Add the entire bottle of wine. Cook everything on low heat for two hours, remembering to cover the pot. If it dries out too much, add a couple of ladles of broth. Once cooked, remove the meat from the heat, slice it, and carefully cover it with the sautéed vegetables, then serve it.
A typical and ancient country tradition, in the plains and hills, of utilizing the meat of the quadruped (donkey or horse) after its service... the dish has spread in the rural cuisine of the Mantova area, and along the banks of the Po, where it is common.