Beef with sweet and sour sauce
4 servings
120 minutes
Beef with sweet and sour sauce is a luxurious dish of Jewish cuisine known as 'Esik Fleisch.' Its history roots in the traditions of Ashkenazi Jews, where the combination of sweetness and acidity symbolizes life's balance. Tender meat simmers in a rich sauce made from wine, vinegar, honey, and spices, creating a harmony of flavors. Prunes add a subtle fruity note to the dish while the slow-cooked broth enriches its depth. The beef turns out juicy and aromatic, perfect for a festive table. It is served with stewed vegetables or fresh salads and garnished with parsley. This is not just a recipe — it’s an immersion into cultural heritage where each ingredient plays its role in creating a gastronomic masterpiece.
1
Wash the meat, place it in a pot and bring to a boil. Drain the first broth and wash the meat. Place the clean meat in the pot, cover with water, and cook over medium heat. Remember to skim off the foam and scum from the broth. Ensure that the meat does not boil vigorously in the pot; it should simmer slowly in the broth. Thirty minutes before it's done, salt the meat and add black pepper and one bay leaf to the broth.
- Beef: 1200 g
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Bay leaf: 1 piece
2
30 minutes before the meat is ready, we start preparing the sweet and sour sauce in which the cooked meat will be baked.
3
In a deep skillet, blanch sliced onions in a small amount of vegetable oil (1 tablespoon) until transparent. Then add carrot cut into fingers and diced celery stalk. Blanch the vegetables until semi-cooked (al dente). Add 2 tablespoons of tomato puree to the vegetable sauté, mix evenly with the vegetables, and add spices: salt, pepper, ground ginger.
- Onion: 2 heads
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Celery stalk: 3 stems
- Tomato puree: 2 tablespoons
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Grated ginger: 0.5 teaspoon
- Vegetable oil: 1 tablespoon
4
Then pour 1 cup of dry red wine into the vegetable mixture, evaporating the wine for 5 minutes (until the alcohol evaporates). Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey, and cook the sauce, stirring continuously for another 3-5 minutes, then pour in 1 cup of beef broth left over from cooking the meat. Mix the sauce thoroughly and remove from heat.
- Red dry wine: 50 g
- Vinegar: 2 tablespoons
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
- Meat broth: 1 glass
5
Remove the fully cooked boiled meat from the pot and let it cool completely at room temperature.
6
Cut the meat across the grain into wide slices 2 cm thick (about a finger). Arrange the meat in a staggered manner on a baking tray. Add large, pitted dried prunes (300 g) and 1 bay leaf to the pre-prepared sauce. Pour the sauce over the meat. Tightly cover the baking tray with foil and place it in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake the meat for 30-40 minutes.
- Dried prunes: 300 g
- Bay leaf: 1 piece
7
The festive dish Esik Fleisch (Sweet and Sour Meat) is ready. Serve the meat as a main dish or hot appetizer. Layer the meat on a serving platter, generously pour over the sauce it was cooked in, and garnish with parsley leaves. As a side dish, you can serve stewed vegetables, onion marmalade, or a fresh salad.
- Parsley: 2 sprigs