Pašticada is a traditional Dalmatian dish served in special occasions like weddings, New Year’s Eve and other festivities or celebrations. We can call this moment in world’s history special occasion as well, right? #coronayear2020
There are a lot of details in preparation and ingredients that make one Pašticada different from the other one. This is basically the dish that causes a lot of discussions and comparisons. Here are just some of them – Is it better to use wine or dessert wine Prošek?; Which fruit is better – figs or prunes? Which is the best ingredient to marinate the meat? The list of such questions is long. Every household in Dalmatia that makes Pašticada will say that theirs is the best one, but the truth is that each Pašticada is a bit different because of the spices and seasoning before and during cooking.
We believe that each Pašticada is very good, especially if it is prepared in the way our grandmothers used to do it. Dalmatian Pašticada is definitely the meal to be considered as a real pearl of Croatian gastronomy and also a maturity test for the ones who like to brag themselves about their gastronomic experience and are proud of their cooking skills.
Pierce the meat with a sharp pointed knife randomly and then prick it with garlic slivers and small pieces of pancetta (bacon). Put the beef into a large bowl, cover it with vinegar and leave it to sit for 2 or 3 days in the fridge.
After removing the meat from vinegar, season it with salt and pepper. Put it into a roasting dish together with olive oil, lard, onions, celery root and carrots. Cover and roast for 45 minutes. Take it out of the oven and separate the meat from the sauce.
In a large pot fry fine chopped onions, garlic, carrots and bacon. After about 6-8 minutes add meat, tomato puree, Prosek (sweet wine),red wine, a bit of sugar and vinegar ( feel free to use the one used to marinate the meat) and the vegetables(you can blend them) used when cooking roasting the meat in the oven.
After about 2.5h of cooking, cut the meat into 1 cm thick slices and put it back into the sauce together with prunes. Cook until the meat becomes tender (let’s say another 45 min). Serve it with potato gnocchi. If you like, you can sprinkle it with some grated parmesan cheese when serving.
1,5-2 kg beef round
5 garlic cloves, sliced
100 g pancetta (bacon), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Vinegar
1 tablespoon lard
1/2 cup olive oil
3 large onions
2 carrots
1 celery root
4 cloves
2 tablespoon tomato purée
100 ml dessert wine Prošek
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup red wine
3 bigger dried prunes
salt and pepper
I evo ga, (and here it is)
Dobar tek! (Enjoy your meal)
