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Zwiebelfleisch
Beef braised with onions
Wiener Zwiebelfleisch: Viennese beef braised with a heap of onions, vinegar and caraway
Zwiebelfleisch is an old Viennese Beisl dish, the kind of hearty lunch an inn serves on a cold weekday, with boiled or fried potatoes alongside. Thin slices of beef braise slowly with a mountain of onions, a splash of vinegar, caraway and marjoram until the onions melt into a sweet, tangy gravy. The usual mistake is browning the onions too fast: they turn bitter, so let them colour slowly to a deep gold. Pressure-cooker: 25 minutes at high pressure after browning. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of mustard stirred in at the end rounds out the sauce and brightens the vinegar.
- Total time
- 125 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb beef chuck or topsidecut in 1 cm slices, then in strips
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ⅓ lb onionsthinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 tsp medium mustard
- 1 ¾ lb potatoes, to serveboiled in their skins
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season the 1 ¾ lb beef chuck or topside with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and dust with the 1 tbsp plain flour.
3 minStep 2: Heat 2 tablespoons of the 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy casserole over a high heat and brown the beef quickly in two batches, 3 minutes each. Lift out.
6 minStep 3: Add the rest of the oil and the 1 ⅓ lb onions and cook over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often, until soft and deep golden.
20 minStep 4: Stir in the 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1 tsp sweet paprika for 1 minute, then add the 2 tbsp white wine vinegar and let it bubble for 30 seconds.
2 minStep 5: Return the beef with the 2 cups beef stock, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 1 tsp dried marjoram and 2 cloves garlic. Cover and simmer gently for 1¼ hours, until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick.
75 minStep 6: Stir in the 1 tsp medium mustard and taste for salt. Serve with the boiled 1 ¾ lb potatoes, to serve, peeled or in their skins.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zwiebelfleisch take?
- About 125 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 105 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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