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Popska yahniya
Beef and onion stew
Попска яхния (popska yahniya): Bulgarian 'priest's stew' of beef and small whole onions in wine
Popska yahniya, the 'priest's stew', is cooked across Bulgaria in autumn and winter, often in a clay gyuveche in the oven, and appears at name-day dinners in Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo. Beef is braised with a heap of small whole shallot-sized onions, garlic, paprika, red wine and a splash of vinegar until the onions are sweet and jammy and the sauce is glossy. The wine is part of the dish and some alcohol can remain after cooking; for an alcohol-free version use the same amount of beef stock plus 1 extra tablespoon of vinegar. Pork shoulder is a common alternative to beef. The usual mistake is letting the onions break apart: add them after the meat has had an hour, so they hold their shape. Chef's tip: blanch the onions for one minute in boiling water and the skins slip off in seconds.
- Total time
- 135 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb beef chuckcut into 4 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 ⅓ lb small onions or shallotspeeled, left whole
- 8 cloves garlicpeeled, left whole
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- ¾ cup dry red wineor beef stock for alcohol-free
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 ¾ cups hot water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drop the unpeeled 1 ⅓ lb small onions or shallots into boiling water for 1 minute, drain, trim and slip off the skins.
8 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the 1 ¾ lb beef chuck in batches until well coloured, 5 minutes each.
12 minStep 3: Return all the beef, take the pot off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp sweet paprika and 1 tbsp tomato purée for 30 seconds; paprika burns fast and turns bitter.
1 minStep 4: Add ¾ cup dry red wine, 1 ¾ cups hot water, 3 bay leaves, 5 whole allspice berries, 8 black peppercorns and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 1 hour.
60 minStep 5: Add the whole onions, 8 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp sugar. Cover and cook for another 45 minutes, until the beef is tender and the onions are soft but still whole.
45 minStep 6: If the sauce is thin, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Scatter with 2 tbsp fresh parsley and serve with bread or mashed potatoes.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does popska yahniya take?
- About 135 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of small onions or shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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