Braised Beef Cubes with Garlic

Garlic beef cubes served with potato dumplings and spinach, Czech hovězí na česneku dish.

Braised Beef Cubes with Garlic

This is an original Czech recipe for slow-braised beef cubes in garlic sauce. The dish is very popular in the Czech Republic, often served with potato dumplings and stewed spinach.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Beef recipes

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2 30

Total Time 3

Servings

Calories 389kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

1 and ½ pounds beef chuck or round (680 g)
3 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons pork lard or sunflower/Canola oil
1 onion large
1 and ½ teaspoons salt
water in which the meat will stew

Instructions

Cut the beef into cubes about 1 inch (3 cm) in size. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel and press the garlic.
Salt the meat cubes and mix with garlic.
Heat the lard or oil in a frying pan to a higher temperature and brown the meat in it. The meat will probably release its juices. Cook until the juices evaporate and the meat cubes are golden brown. Stir.
Remove the fried meat and fry the onion in the same fat. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of water. Using a flat spatula, scrape the drippings from the bottom of the pan and stir them into the onions.
Return the beef cubes to the onions, cover with water so that the meat is half submerged. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to a minimum and simmer until the beef is tender. Stewing time for beef cubes: 2-3 hours.
At the end of the stewing (the meat is already soft and tender), remove the lid, add a little water if necessary and dust the surface of the stew with flour through a sieve. Put the lid back on and let the flour steam for 15 minutes at low heat - do not stir!
Finally, season with salt to taste, stir and serve.

Notes

SERVING: Beef cubes with garlic gravy are best served with potato dumplings and steamed spinach. Garnish the dumplings with fried onion rings for effect and flavor.
Prepare the beef half an hour in advance. Cut into cubes, mix with salt and garlic and leave to marinate at room temperature. The meat will smell more of garlic.
The trick of dusting the beef with flour will ensure that the juices thicken gently, yet no lumps form. There is no need for a roux either.
You can also prepare this recipe in a slow cooker. I recommend that the initial stage (frying the meat and onions) be done in a skillet and then put to simmer in the slow cooker.

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