Hungarian-style Braised Beef

Hot and fiery flavours of hot paprika blend with sweet paprika, to give this braised beef complexity in flavour with very little effort. You can even make it a day ahead and simply reheat to serve. Serve over cooked noodles or rice sprinkled with minced fresh cilantro or parsley if you wish.
Yield 6 Servings Prep. Time 15 min Cooking Time 140 min Total Time 155 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 2½ lb (1.3 kg) Beef Cheeks (about 2 or 3)
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil, divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 EACH onion, carrot and sweet green pepper, diced
  • ½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) sweet paprika
  • 1½ tsp (7 mL) dried marjoram
  • ½ to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) hot paprika
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
  • 3½ cups (875 mL) reduced-sodium beef broth
  • 2 small bay leaves

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Method

Follow these cooking methods/directions:

  1. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil over medium-high heat in large Dutch oven or enamelled cast iron roaster. Brown beef, turning occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until dark golden-brown all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

  2. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil to pot. Cook garlic, onion, green pepper and carrot, stirring, for about 4 minutes or until softened. Sprinkle in flour, sweet paprika, marjoram and hot paprika; add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until blended. Gradually whisk in broth; add bay leaf. Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Add beef and accumulated juices, turning beef to coat in sauce.

  3. Cover and cook in preheated 325ºF oven, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours or until meat is fork-tender.

  4. Use a slotted spoon to transfer beef to a bowl; break the beef into large chunks with a fork. Skim fat from sauce and discard bay leaves. Stir beef back into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.