Pašticada
Traditional Dalmatian Pašticada, popular in Croatia is a hearty slow-cooked beef stew in vegetable-based sauce, and has a sweet-and-sour flavor, usually served with homemade pasta.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 4 oz bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 4 cup wine vinegar
- 1 parsley root, peeled and quartered
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 4 prunes
- 3 onions
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut
- 1 celery root, peeled and quartered
- ½ cup prosek
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup red dry wine
- 1 lb gnocchi
- Parmesan cheese
- ½ bunch parsley, chopped
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- You should start preparing the meal the previous day, by using a sharp knife and cut small openings in the meat. Insert pieces of garlic, bacon in it.
- Transfer the beef in a large dish pour some vinegar to cover it and leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, remove the meat from the vinegar and drain it, you can use paper towels to soak as much liquid as possible.
- Remove from the meat the garlic, bacon and and keep them in a small bowl for later.
- Turn the stove to a medium high temperature and place a large saucepan with olive oil.
- Place the meat in the saucepan, dust with flour and cook on medium high heat and about 8 to 10 minutes by turning regularly until brown on all sides.
- Remove the meat from the saucepan and transfer it into a roasting dish. Season the beef with salt and pepper, olive oil, lard, onions, celery root and carrots then cover it with aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes.
- You can use same saucepan with the oil and fry the onion, garlic and bacon for a few minutes, stir constantly.
- Return the meat to the pot, add broth and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Return the meat to the pot, pour red and dessert wine, add the tomato paste, and cook covered on low heat for 3 hours.
- After 1.5h add the bay leaf and prunes.
- Check with a fork if the meat is tender, then transfer it to cutting board and and cut into thick slices.
- The vegetables and sauce that have left transfer it and puree it into a blender.
- You can serve with potato gnocchi and garnish with parsley.