How to Make Pašticada
Make Dalmatian-style pašticada by marinating beef overnight, then braising it slowly in red wine with vegetables and prunes until tender.
By HomeChefs Kitchen Team · · No ratings yet
- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 210 min
A slow-cooked Dalmatian favourite
Pašticada is beef braised in a dark, gently sweet-and-sour sauce. This version starts with an overnight wine marinade, then builds flavour by browning the beef and cooking it slowly with onions, carrots, tomato and prunes. Allow time for the marinade and the long braise; most of it is hands-off.
Choose a single piece of beef chuck so you can slice it across the grain after cooking. Pat it dry before browning, and give it room in the pan: a good crust adds depth to the sauce. The beef is ready when a fork slides in easily. If the sauce seems thin, simmer it uncovered for a few minutes while you slice the meat. Pašticada is lovely with gnocchi, which catches the sauce.
Cooking worth sharing
A dish like this gives a home cook something distinctive to share with neighbours: not just a meal, but the choices behind it, from how tart to make the sauce to what to serve alongside it. Sharing locally can bring direct feedback and familiar faces around a recipe worth making again. On HomeChefs, meals come from independent home kitchens; what is available depends on kitchens near you, and each kitchen chooses whether to offer collection, delivery or both.
Ingredients
- 1 kgbeef chuck, in one piece
- 400 mldry red wine
- 60 mlred wine vinegar
- 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
- 2bay leaves
- 10 gsalt
- 2 gground black pepper
- 30 mlolive oil
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 2carrots, finely chopped
- 25 gtomato paste
- 70 gpitted prunes, chopped
- 2whole cloves
- 400 mlwater
Method
Put the beef in a covered dish with the wine, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, half the salt and the pepper. Refrigerate for 12–24 hours, turning the beef once if it is not fully submerged.
Lift the beef from the marinade and pat it dry. Keep the marinade and its aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef on all sides, about 8–10 minutes in total. Transfer it to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring, until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the reserved marinade and aromatics, scraping the base of the pot. Add the prunes, cloves, water and remaining salt. Bring to a full boil, then return the beef to the pot.
Cover and simmer gently for 3–3½ hours, turning the beef occasionally, until a fork slides into it easily. Remove the beef, bay leaves and cloves. Blend the sauce until smooth, or leave it textured. If it is thin, simmer it uncovered until it coats a spoon.
Slice the beef across the grain and spoon the sauce over it.
Food safety
- Keep the beef in the refrigerator while it marinates.
- Because the reserved marinade has been in contact with raw beef, bring it to a full boil before reducing the heat for the braise.
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