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1
Cut a piece of cheesecloth to form a double layer, about 1 foot square.
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2
Pile the spices, bay leaves, and coffee beans in the center, then fold the cheesecloth to enclose them in a neat bundle.
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3
Tie the bundle securely closed with kitchen twine.
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4
Sprinkle the teaspoon of coarse salt all over the roast and pat it into the flesh.
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5
Spread out the flour and plop the meat into it, turning it and patting the flour to coat all sides of the roast.
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6
Shake off excess flour.
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7
Pour the olive oil into the pot and set it over medium-high heat for a minute or two, until the oil is hot.
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8
Lay in the roast on one of its large, flat sides and let it sizzle in place for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.
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9
Turn it over and brown the other flat side, another 2 minutes or so, then briefly brown the narrow sides of meat.
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10
With tongs or a large spatula, lift the meat from the pot and set it on a large plate.
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11
Scatter the chopped onions into the pot, lower the heat a bit, and cook them, stirring frequently, as they sweat, wilt, and soften; scrape up the browned meat bits in the pan too.
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12
After 6 to 8 minutes, when the onions have started to color lightly (dont let them get dark), clear a hot spot in the pan bottom and drop in the tomato paste.
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13
Spread and toast the paste for a minute or so, then stir it in with the onions.
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14
Sprinkle the cocoa powder and grated nutmeg over the onions, stir to blend, then drop in the carrot chunks and toss them well with the hot onions.
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15
Replace the roast in the pot, laying it flat on top of the vegetables; pour in any juices that accumulated in the plate.
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16
Tuck the sachet of spices next to the meat.
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17
Now pour in as much wine as needed to come up and over the top of the meat.
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18
You may need less than three bottles (2,250ml) of wine, or more; if you run out of wine, add vegetable broth or plain water to just submerge the beef in cooking liquid.
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19
Sprinkle the 2 teaspoons of salt into the pot, put on the cover, and bring the wine to a boil, over high heat.
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20
Lower the heat to maintain a gentle, steady bubbling over the surface of the liquid, and let the meat cook, tightly covered, for 2 hours.
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21
Check the level of the liquid occasionally, and add wine, broth, or water if it has fallen much below the top of the meat.
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22
If the liquid is reducing rapidly, lower the heat.
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23
If the level hasnt fallen at all after an hour or so, raise the heat slightly and set the cover ajar.
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24
After 2 hours, remove the cover and adjust the heat to maintain the steady perking of the braising liquid.
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25
Check the tenderness of the meat by poking a large fork into it in several places to gauge doneness.
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26
Any resistance indicates that more cooking is needed.
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27
Keep cookingit should take a total of about 3 hoursuntil the meat is tender.
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28
The braising wine should be reducing slowly during this last hour too.
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29
When the meat is thoroughly cooked, turn off the heat and, using wide spatulas, carefully lift the roast out of the pot and into a baking dish.
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30
Extricate the carrot pieces too, and put them in the dish.
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31
Place it in a warm spot, covering the roast loosely with foil.
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32
To finish the sauce, set a sturdy mesh sieve over a large saucepan.
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33
Pour the braising liquid through the sieve, pressing on the vegetables and the spice sachet to extract their juices, then discard.
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34
Let the liquid settle briefly, then skim off the fat on top.
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35
Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, and cook rapidly to thicken it to a consistency you like.
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36
Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
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37
When youre ready to serve, move the roast to a cutting board and slice it crosswise in generous thick slices, using a very sharp serrated knife and holding it together with your hands.
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38
Dont try to slice it too thin while its warm or it will fall apart.
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39
I serve this family-style, in the baking dish or on a platter, fanning out the meat slices, and surrounding them with carrots.
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40
Ladle some of the sauce over the meat in the dish, and pass more sauce at the table.
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41
Hot polenta (page 215) is the perfect contorno for this dish, so serve a bowlful with the meat.
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42
For braising the beef (and the great sauce you get at the end), youll need three bottles or about 10 cups of red wine, or even more, depending on the size of your pan.
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43
This does not need to cost a fortune, though.
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44
I recommend that you buy a good but average wine.
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45
It should be fruity with lots of body, like a Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Syrah.
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46
Of course, the better the wine the better the sauce, but dont go overboard.
