Beef Dishes

In the past, meat dishes were not very widespread in Russia. On the one hand, livestock breeding was never a priority; on the other, church always imposed some restrictions on meat

Cooking time —
Complication —

In recipe book

In the past, meat dishes were not very widespread in Russia. On the one hand, livestock breeding was never a priority; on the other, church always imposed some restrictions on meat. However, at some point certain regional meat preferences appeared in Russia. In southern and western Russia, for instance, they mainly ate pork, in northern and central parts they preferred beef, while in the Urals and Siberia they chose lamb. Poultry – e.g. chicken, ducks and geese - was consumed everywhere.
There was also seasonal consumption, as slaughter traditionally started shortly before the start of the cold season. That was so because laying-in fodder was unreasonable, meat storage was convenient, and church eased pressure on meat consumption during fasts.
Various curing methods were used: smoking, salting and drying. Boiled and stewed meat was very popular, while fried dishes were considered celebratory. They also ate a lot of offal. Naturally, melted animal fat was considered most valuable; it was used both to make porridges, and as medication. Layers of lard were sliced, cased into intestines, and stored in boxes. In the south, people followed the same technique to make sausages adding some spices and herbs.
In the forests, which were rich in game, they hunted grouse, quail, rabbit, boar and deer which enabled the table variety in the countryside. It was a matter of prestige among the noblemen to serve game they killed themselves.
Today we are presenting Russian dishes where beef is the main ingredient.

Slavonic Meat

1kg beef
100g onions
200g sour cream
50g cheese
100g melted butter
100g flour
fresh herbs, salt, pepper

Boil a piece of meat a little, then roast it until ready. Chill and carve. Fry finely chopped onions in a big cast-iron frying pan, add a little flour, fry a little more at low heat, add sour cream and broth, chill down. Whip 2 eggs, stir them in the sauce. Add salt and pepper. Put the meat slices on an enamelled dish, pour it all over with sauce (optionally with boiled mushrooms), sprinkle with grated cheese, and brown in the oven. Serve on a dish.

Village Meat

1kg beef
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 leek
1 cup chopped celery
0.5kg aubergines
1 bulb crushed garlic
200g chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp wormwood
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
0.5 cup broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
50g corn flour
2 tbsp water

Tie a piece of meat with a string and fry it a little on both sides. Heat some oil in a pan, add chopped onions, fry a little. Add celery, aubergines, garlic and brown them. Add mushrooms, wormwood, broth and cook until ready. Take out the vegetables and put them on a plate. Add tomato paste and flour to the meat, and heat thoroughly. Serve carved meat with vegetables.

Beef Stroganoff with Mustard

1.2kg beef
2 cups broth
100g flour
30g butter
40g mustard
10 black peppercorns
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt, pepper

Dice 1.2kg of meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dissolve with 2 cups of broth, add a spoon of flour, fry in oil, boil, add 1 tsp of spicy mustard, black peppercorns. Boil, filter. Before serving, add sour cream and a spoon of tomato paste fried in the sauce. Fry beef with oil and onions, put it in the sauce and heat 15 minutes at low heat, then serve.

Meshchanski Fried Beef

1kg fat beef
butter
1 tbsp vinegar
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
salt, pepper
bay leaf
100g meat broth

Tenderise a piece of rather fat beef fillet with a mallet and fry it on all sides in a stew pan with heated butter. Then add vinegar, whole onions, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaf, your other favourite spices. Add meat broth, cover and roast until ready, turning the meat frequently. Serve the roast on a dish drizzled with its frying juice, having removed excessive fat.

Beef Stewed With Mushrooms

(Serves 4)
600g beef
100g bacon
1-2 onions
2 tbsp fat
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp flour
200g mushrooms
bay leaf
pepper, salt

Slice beef fillet to allow 1-2 slices per 1 portion, and dice low-fat bacon. Fry everything together with onions, add broth, tomato paste, spices, cover the saucepan with a lid, and stew until ready at low heat. Basing on the broth in which the meat was stewed, make a sauce with addition of finely chopped cep mushrooms or pre-fried champignons. Put the prepared meat in the sauce and bring to boil. Serve with boiled potatoes or pasta. The stewed meat can be made without bacon, then use more meat.

Home Roast

(Serves 4)
300g beef
200g potatoes
1 onion
20g melted butter or cream
1 carrot
1 parsley root
15g tomato paste
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp sour cream
1 bunch fresh herbs
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste

Halve the beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper, fry. Add sliced onions, roots, carrots, tomato paste and fried flour. Stew until ready. In the end, add sour cream. Peel potatoes, slice and slightly fry until a golden crust appears. Put a layer of potatoes in a clay pot, then a layer of meat, again a layer of potatoes and a layer of meat. Fill the roast with the sauce, sprinkle with fresh herbs and finely chopped garlic. Put the pot in a heated oven for 20 minutes

Beef Roast With Raisins

(Serves 4)
600g beef (sirloin, blade rib roast)
3 tbsp rice
4 tbsp raisins
3 onions
8 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 cup red table wine
celery root
bay leaf
ground black pepper, salt

Cut the beef into portion pieces, tenderise with a mallet and salt. Chop onions, grate celery root, rinse raisins and rice. Combine all ingredients, add salt and pepper. Coat the prepared meat with this mixture. Make rolls, tie them with threads and fry on both sides in boiling sunflower oil. Then add red table wine, a bay leaf, cloves, nutmeg. Stew about one hour. Remember to remove threads before serving.

Beef With Pepper And Mushrooms

800g beef fillet (blade rib roast)
200g champignons
3 tbsp sunflower oil
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cognac
150g sour cream
2 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

Cut the beef into portion pieces, tenderise slightly with a mallet. Rub each piece with pepper. Heat a spoon of sunflower oil and a spoon of butter and fry sliced mushrooms until golden. Put the mushrooms in a separate dish. Heat the remaining oil and butter in the frying pan, add meat and fry until ready. Put the meat in a separate dish, remove the liquid, from the frying pan, add cognac, bring to boil, add sour cream and boil 1 minute. Then add the mushrooms and cook until ready. At serving, drizzle the meat with the sauce, sprinkle with fresh herbs, garnish with tomatoes.

Beef With Cabbage In Pot

300g beef fillet
230g sauerkraut
2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup broth
1 onion
1 tbsp tomato paste
10g fresh parsley
salt
pepper

Julienne the meat and fry in oil until a golden crust appears. Chop cabbage finely. Put meat and cabbage in pots, add onion half-rings, salt, pepper, broth, tomato paste browned in oil, close the pots and stew 1.5-2 hours. Serve in pots with fresh herbs.

Russian-Style Stewed Beef

900g beef (hind leg steak or shoulder)
30g wheaten flour
300g onions
60g carrots
60g celery root
60g Borodino rye bread
90g spick
60g sunflower oil or pork lard
600g meat broth
60g sour cream
peppercorns
bay leaf
fresh herbs to taste

Remove sinews and membranes from the meat, cut it across the fibres into portion pieces, dust in flour and fry in pork lard or sunflower oil until a crust appears. Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with thin slices of spick, then fried meat, onions, julienned carrots and celery. Add salt, diced bread, pepper, bay leaf, another layer of meat, vegetables, bread and spices. Add broth made of a boullion cube so that it covers the top layer of meat. First heat the pan on the stove, bring the broth to boil, then cover and stew in the oven 1.5-2 hours at 170 С. 30 minutes before the end, add sour cream and salt to taste. Serve the meat with vegetables, drizzled with the stewing sauce, sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs. Garnish with boiled potatoes. Meat can be stewed in individual ceramic pots. If there is no Borodino bread, use any brown bread, but add caraway seeds at stewing.