Nitkos False Pasticada Recipes

CROATIAN DALMATIAN PASTICADA

Steps:

• Meat must be in one piece, preferably older cow. Clean all the fat pieces or little vascular. Cover the meat with vinegar and leave it overnight.
• Next morning peel the garlic, half of it cut in little sticks, the other half mince finely. Do the same with bacon. Using very thin knife, put garlic, bacon and seedless plumes into meat.
• Fry it shortly in a heavy pan making sure that all sides have been done.
• Take out the meat and on the same fat (olive oil) sauté finely minced onion, celery root, parsley root, garlic and bacon.
• When it is done, put back the meat. Mix tomato jam and wine together and pour over the meat and vegetables. Sauté it until meat softens (it will take some time) pouring water if evaporates.
• When it is finely done, put out the meat and strain the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, add prosek.
• Cut the meat in portions (vertical to fibres) and put it back in vegetables. Cook it for 10 more minutes. Serve with potato gnocchi, noodles or mashed potato. Cover with grated parmesan.

DALMATIAN POT ROAST "PASTICADA"

Steps:

• In a large pot or crock pot/slow cooker, marinate the beef, in one piece, overnight (or up to two days, depending on your tastes!) in 1 bottle of red wine. Add onions and rosemary.
• Remove the beef, and every inch cut a small hole and insert one or two of the garlic "sticks", around the whole piece of beef. Save the marinade and put on the stove on medium heat. This will now be made into your sauce.
• Brown the beef on all sides in a pan with your olive oil, on medium-high heat.
• While browning the beef add the can of tomato paste to the marinade and mix well. As the marinade starts to boil, return the beef to the sauce and add the carrots. Boil for 15 minutes, stirring often.
• Lower the heat to a simmer and add the remaining ingredients. Slow cook until the meat softens, about 3 hours. Stir occaisionally and add water as needed or if needed, to keep the meat covered and moist.
• When the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened, your pasticada is ready! Serve in slices, topped with the sauce, with gnocchi or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

NITKO'S FALSE "PASTICADA"

Steps:

• Cut beef into very small cubes, approximately 1cm in diameter.
• Finely mince onion and garlic.
• Cut the carrots into very, very small cubes.
• Sauté the onion in olive oil.
• When onions become yellowish, add beef and carrots.
• Sauté until meat loses liquid; add garlic and wine.
• Make stronger heat.
• Before adding plums, cut them into thin strips. If you don't have plums, you may add raisins.
• When alcohol evaporates, add tomato and all spices: salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and plums.
• Add some more water and cook about 40 minutes on low heat.
• It may be too sour (if the tomato is not from your garden) so you may add some sugar (depends on your taste).
• The sauce must reduce to almost half.
• Sprinkle with chopped parsley leaves at the end.
• It is best to serve with potato gnocchi sprinkled with grated Parmesan, but you may use any kind of pasta or rice.