Pasticada, Dalmatian Braised Beef with Prosek
Flavors of Croatia. Dalmatinska pasticada is a traditional Dalmatian braised beef dish. It requires some advance planning, since it needs 24 hours of marinating and over 3 hours of cooking time. Pasticada is usually served with noodles and grated cheese. Difficulty: Easy.
⏱️ Prep: 15 min🍳 Cook: 210 min
Ingredients
| 750 g | lean boneless beef | |
| — | smoked bacon | |
| a few | cloves | |
| 3 | garlic cloves | |
| — | vinegar | |
| juice of 1 lemon | lemon juice | |
| — | rosemary | |
| — | flour | |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | fat |
| 1 | onion | |
| 2 | carrots | |
| — | nutmeg | |
| — | broth or water | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | tomato paste |
| 1 glass | "Prosek" (dessert wine) or red wine | |
| 1-2 | sugar cubes | |
| — | salt and pepper |
Instructions
Preparing and marinating:
- Lard the beef with pieces of smoked bacon and slivers of garlic; stick in a few cloves.
- Place the meat in a fairly small dish; add vinegar to one-third of its depth. Add the lemon juice and a branch of rosemary. Marinate the meat overnight (preferably for 24 hours), turning occasionally.
Cooking:
- Take the meat from the marinade, drain well, and coat in flour.
- In a Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp. fat and brown the meat and onions.
- Gradually add the broth or water, then the tomato paste, prosek, sliced carrots, nutmeg and a few cloves. Simmer covered for 3 hours or until the meat is cooked and can be sliced thinly.
- Strain the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Return to the pot and cook 30 minutes longer.