Croatian Beef Stew Pasticada
This Croatian Beef Stew Pasticada is a labor of love that brings together rich flavors and traditional cooking techniques, making it a memorable meal that's worth every bit of effort.
Equipment
- 1 deep pan with a lid
- 1 hand blender
- 1 Sharp Knife
Ingredients
Meat and Marinade:
- 1.8 pounds beef round
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 parsnip
- 1 small piece of celery root (celeriac)
- 1 carrot
- 2.8 ounces bacon
- 2 dried plums
- 4 cloves
- 3.5 cups red wine or more if needed
For Cooking:
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 4 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 carrots
- 1 kohlrabi or celeriac
- 2.1 quarts beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
Finish with:
- 2/3 cup red wine
- 3 plums
- 2 cloves
Side Dish:
- 1.1 pounds gnocchi
Instructions
- Slice the beef into roughly 1-inch thick pieces. Marinate with chopped vegetables, bacon, plums, cloves, and red wine for 24 hours.
- Heat oil in a deep pan. Sauté onions, then add chopped carrots and kohlrabi.
- Remove beef from the marinade (discard the marinade), dry it with paper towels, and add to the pan. Add bay leaves and cover with beef stock. Reserve extra stock to add during cooking.
- Continue to simmer for about 3 hours, occasionally adding more stock as needed.
- Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, remove the beef and bay leaves. Blend the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Return beef to the pan, add additional plums, wine, and cloves, and simmer gently for another 15 minutes.
- Enjoy this rich, flavorful stew with a side of gnocchi.