Beef with prunes is a very tasty dish that is popular in Russia but comes from Jewish cuisine. It is a kind of "esik fleisha" - a sweet and sour meat stew.
Beef with prunes is a popular dish that can decorate even the most sophisticated holiday table. It has a delicate, slightly sweet taste and high nutritional value. The meat is very juicy. This dish of Jewish cuisine can surprise guests and delight those closest to you. You can prepare it in different ways depending on your taste preferences.
Classic Beef with Prunes
To prepare a delicious dinner of meat with the addition of prunes, you will need the following ingredients:
- beef (pulp) - 700 g;
- 2-3 small onions;
- 2 carrots;
- 1 ripe tomato;
- 2 tbsp tomato paste;
- 200 g of prunes;
- water;
- vegetable oil (for frying);
- a little salt;
- bay leaf;
- black peppercorns.
To make the dish really tasty, you need to choose high-quality meat. Non-tough beef flesh is perfect. You can also use veal. The meat of young animals is distinguished by an even more delicate taste and softness. Cut the beef into steaks, slightly beat off (but this is not necessary), and then cut into thin rectangles.
Peel and grate the carrots. Free the onions from the husk and cut into thin rings or half rings. Fry the onions and carrots in a heavy-bottomed skillet. The vegetables should take on a slightly golden hue and the onions should be translucent. Add the diced tomato. Fry the meat in a separate frying pan for 3-5 minutes, and then put it to the overcooked vegetable mixture, add a little salt, pepper, add tomato paste, mix everything well, add some water and simmer under a closed lid for about 1 hour.
Rinse the prunes well, soak in water for about 30 minutes, and then cut each dried fruit in half or 4 parts. Put the prunes in a deep frying pan with meat and vegetables and simmer for about 40 minutes all together. 10 minutes before being ready, put a bay leaf.
Serve the dish hot on a beautiful platter or on portioned plates. You can supplement it with fresh vegetables, serve rice or potatoes as a side dish.
The ratio of ingredients in this recipe can be adjusted slightly as you wish. If you want the dish to turn out to be sweeter, you need to add more prunes. If you increase the amount of tomato paste, tomatoes, the beef will acquire a spicy sourness.
Beef with prunes and oranges
Adding citrus fruits to a popular dish gives it an even more original flavor. To prepare it you will need:
- 700 g beef tenderloin;
- 2 large oranges;
- 200 g of prunes;
- 2 tbsp. l flour;
- small onion;
- 1 tbsp. l tomato paste;
- vegetable oil (for frying);
- a little salt and black pepper;
- 1 tbsp. l sugar.
Wash the beef, dry it, cut into small pieces. In a saucepan with a thick bottom, fry the meat pieces in vegetable oil for 5-7 minutes, and then add a little water, salt and simmer under the lid closed for about 1 hour. You can also use broth instead of water. It is very convenient to cook such a dish in cast iron pans. The meat is tender and melts in the mouth.
While the meat is stewing, you can prepare the gravy. Rinse prunes and soak for 15-20 minutes in water to soften, then chop them finely. Remove the zest from the oranges using a special grater. Divide the fruit into slices, peel as much of the films as possible and cut into cubes. Finely chop the onion.
Fry onions in vegetable oil. It should become transparent, but not burnt. Put oranges and zest in a frying pan, simmer for 3 minutes, add chopped prunes, sugar, flour and a little water. Season with salt and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Pour the gravy into a saucepan with prunes, close the dish with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Beef with prunes and pine nuts
Beef with prunes can be stewed with wine. Pine nuts will make the taste of the dish even more spicy and unusual. To prepare a delicious dinner you will need:
- 1 kg beef tenderloin;
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 200 g of prunes;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- small onion;
- 1 tbsp. l flour;
- olive oil;
- a little salt and black pepper;
- 150 g of pine nuts;
- 2/3 cup dry white wine;
- some thyme;
- meat broth.
Gently cut the beef into steaks and beat off lightly, and then cut into small pieces. Pour some olive oil on the bottom of the cauldron and fry the meat with the addition of cayenne pepper for 5-7 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and fry the onion in the same oil. It is better to cut the onion into half rings.
Peel the garlic cloves and cut each into 4 pieces. Soak prunes in water for 20 minutes and then cut into slices. Add prunes, garlic, flour to the cauldron, fry for 1 minute, pour in the meat broth and cook under a closed lid for 1 hour. Open the cauldron, add thyme, bay leaf, pine nuts, pour out the wine, close the lid and cook for another 15 minutes. Serve the dish hot. Garnish prune meat with fresh pine nuts when serving.
Beef rolls with prunes
Delicious rolls can be made from beef with prunes. This will require:
- 1 kg beef tenderloin;
- a piece of ginger root (4-6 cm);
- 200 g pitted prunes;
- small onion;
- vegetable oil (for frying);
- a little salt and black pepper;
- bay leaf.
Cut the beef tenderloin in half along the grain, but do not cut it to the end. Open the layer like a book and slightly beat off the meat. Salt it a little, sprinkle with black pepper. You can add any spices, but in small quantities so that they do not interrupt the taste of meat and prunes.
Rinse prunes, you can soak them for 15 minutes to soften in water. Cut into small pieces. Peel the ginger root, grate and mix with the prunes. Put the mixture on a layer of meat, roll it up and tie it with culinary thread. If the roll is too large, you can cut it in half to fit in the saucepan.
Fry the meatloaf in a deep frying pan for 5 minutes on each side. In a separate frying pan, fry the chopped onions until they soften and acquire a golden hue. Put the onion in a frying pan with meat, add bay leaf, peppercorns and pour a little water. Simmer beef with prunes in the form of a roll for 2 hours under a closed lid. From time to time you need to open the lid and water the meat with the resulting juice. This dish is perfect for a festive dinner. Before serving, free the roll from the culinary thread, cut and put on a dish. You can sprinkle it with fresh chopped herbs or sprinkle with mustard-based cereal sauce, soy sauce. Meat roll with prunes goes well with any side dishes, but it is especially tasty when served with boiled potatoes.
The recipe can be adjusted by supplementing the filling with various ingredients to your liking. You can cook beef roll with prunes, ginger and apple or walnuts. Rolls can not only be stewed in a saucepan, but also baked in the oven. Previously, it is better to put them in a sleeve, but it is also permissible to cook in a refractory dish under a closed lid at a temperature of 180 ° C for 1.5 hours. 10-20 minutes before being ready, open the sleeve or open the lid so that a golden crust forms on the surface of the meat.
Beef Chops with Prunes
Beef chops are very tasty when cooked with prunes and under a cheese crust. To surprise guests with this dish, you will need:
- 600 g beef tenderloin;
- 200 g pitted prunes;
- 150 g champignons;
- 100 g of cheese;
- 5 walnuts;
- small onion;
- vegetable oil (for frying);
- a little salt and black pepper;
- mayonnaise.
Cut the beef tenderloin into small slices and beat well. The thickness of the plates should be no more than 1 cm. For this recipe, a high-quality chilled tenderloin without veins and films is suitable.
Put the beef slices in a fireproof form, having previously covered it with foil. Salt the meat a little, pepper. Soak prunes in water for 20 minutes, then cut with a sharp knife and spread over the tenderloin. Peel the walnuts from the shell, partitions and chop. You can crush them in a mortar or just cut them with a knife. Place the nuts on the prunes.
Peel the mushrooms and cut into thin slices. Cut the onion into very thin half rings. Fry mushrooms and onions in vegetable oil. The mushrooms should be lightly browned. Put them on the meat with prunes and brush a little with mayonnaise. Mayonnaise in this recipe can be replaced with an estimated medium fat content. This will make the dish healthier.
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it on the meat with prunes, nuts and mushrooms. Cover the foil so that the juice does not leak out during the baking process. Bake at 180 ° C for 40 minutes. Open the foil 10 minutes before readiness. You can sprinkle cheese on the dish not before baking, but after opening the foil. A delicious cheese crust should form.
Roast in pots of beef and prunes with the addition of beer
A very tasty dish can be prepared from beef and prunes by baking the roast in ceramic pots and adding beer during the baking process. In order to surprise loved ones and guests, you need:
- 1 kg of beef;
- 150 g pitted prunes;
- 3 tbsp tomato paste;
- 0.5 liters of beer;
- 2 small onions;
- 2 tablespoons butter;
- a little salt and black pepper;
- 2 carrots;
- a bunch of greens (dill, parsley).
Cut the beef into slices, beat off a little and cut into small slices. Soak prunes in water for 20 minutes, and then cut each dried fruit into 4 parts.
Fry the beef in a pan in butter. Season with a little salt and pepper before frying. Melt some butter in another pan and fry the onion, cut into half rings. Add tomato paste, as well as carrots cut into slices, salt, put chopped herbs, prunes, pour in a little water and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Arrange the meat in pots, add the fried onions with prunes and the gravy formed in the pan. Pour beer into each pot. The liquid should not reach the edges. It is better if it will fill the pots no more than 2/3 of their height. Bake the roast at 180 ° C for about 40 minutes. When serving, sprinkle with chopped herbs.
Instead of beer in this recipe, you can use meat broth with the addition of sour cream. Beef baked in sour cream acquires a unique creamy taste and a certain softness.
