Croatian Braised Beef (Pašticada)

This Croatian braised beef recipe, known as Pašticada, is one of the most iconic dishes of Dalmatian cuisine. Slowly braised beef is cooked in a deeply flavoured sweet-and-sour sauce with wine, aromatics, dried fruit, and spices, resulting in a rich, complex dish that reflects centuries of Croatian culinary tradition.

Hello, folks! How are you doing? I hope you have had a great weekend and are now ready for a new week.

If you follow my blog, you may remember that Andrew and I had a wonderful vacation in Croatia two years ago. If you are into travel blogs (and apparently, cats haha), you can check out these posts:

• Croatia, May 2023 (Part 1) | Zagreb, Pula, Poreč, Rovinj, Motovun
• Croatia, May 2023 (Part 2) | Zadar, Split, Šibenik, Trogir
• Croatia, May 2023 (Part 3) | Dubrovnik, Hvar Island, Korčula, Ston

I have also made and shared with you few recipes from Croatia. And today, I am excited to share with you another one which has been on my bucket list for a while – Pašticada.

Why you’ll love this Croatian Braised Beef Recipe

This Croatian braised beef is a dish that leaves a lasting impression.

• Deeply complex flavour with sweet, sour, and savoury notes in perfect balance.
• One of the most traditional and celebrated Croatian beef dishes.
• Ideal for slow cooking, making it perfect for weekends or special occasions.
• Comforting and hearty, yet refined and elegant when served.

Pašticada And Croatian Braised Beef Traditions

On our last night in Dubrovnik (the next day we would be heading back to Zagreb to have our flight), we had a lovely dinner at one of the restaurants focusing on heritage food. While I enjoyed Šporki Makaruli, Andrew had Pašticada.

It is hard to describe the flavour profile of this braised beef as it’s so complex. But it is surely one of the most unique and sophisticated sauces I’ve ever had. It’s sweet, it’s sour, it’s savoury. You should just make and try it yourself, my friends.

When I was doing research, I learned there were so many different nuances and variations. It’s completely normal. As with many authentic dishes, say, Bolognese or Georgian Satsivi, there’s no the only one correct recipe. Perhaps each family has their own best one.

That said, I have checked quite a few recipes and the one you are reading is rather a compilation of several recipes I liked the most. You know, a little from this, a little from another, and some havoc interpretation from me. Most heavily, I was inspired by the recipes Croatian Cooking: Pašticada Recipe (Beef Stew) Chasing the Donkey and Authentic Dalmatinska Pašticada Recipe – Croatian Beef Stew.

Ingredients for Croatian Braised Beef Pašticada Recipe

Choosing the right cut of beef is essential. Ideally, top round works best, as it is more tender than bottom round and responds well to long braising.

The marinade typically includes red wine, vinegar, pancetta, garlic, cloves, and rosemary, and the beef should be left to marinate overnight to develop depth of flavour.

The sauce is built with onions, celery root, some of the marinade liquid, sweet wine, dried fruit such as prunes or figs, rosemary, and warm spices. Traditionally, Prošek is used, but when it is unavailable, a dessert wine such as Marsala works very well.

How to Serve Pašticada

Traditionally, pašticada is served with homemade gnocchi or pasta. The classic gnocchi is made with flour and milk, though pasta shapes such as rigatoni or handmade dumplings are also commonly used.

On this occasion, I opted for pan-fried potato gnocchi. While not strictly traditional, they pair beautifully with the rich sauce and make for a comforting and satisfying meal.

More Croatian Recipes

If you enjoyed this Croatian braised beef recipe, you may also like these other Croatian-inspired dishes:

• Šporki Makaruli (Dirty Macaroni) – Pasta from Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Ston Cake (Stonska Torta) – Croatian Pasta and Nut Cake
• Pasta with Black Truffle Sauce (Croatian-Inspired Recipe)
• Ajvar – Balkan Pepper Spread

I hope you like this Pašticada – Croatian braised beef recipe , and you will make it a try.  If you make it, please let me know in the comment section of this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

Print

Croatian Braised Beef (Pašticada)

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: Mains and Comfort DishesCuisine: CroatianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Marinade

8-10

hours

Cooking time

3

hours

Pašticada – is a masterpiece of Croatian cuisine. Marinated beef is braised in a luscious sauce made with red wine, sweet wine, root vegetables, dried fruit, herbs, and spices.

Recipe adapted from the Croatia Honestly and the Chasing the Donkey

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Ingredients

• 3 lb. (about 1.5 kg.) beef, top round

• Marinade:

• 75 g. pancetta

• 4-5 garlic cloves

• 6-7 whole cloves

• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary

• 1 bottle (750 ml.) red wine

• 1/2 cup (125 ml.) wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

• Pašticada:

• 2-3 tbsp. (30-45 ml.) olive oil

• 2-3 large onions (1 lb. total), sliced

• 1/4-1/3 celeriac root (about 150-200 g.), peeled and cubed

• 1-2 large parsnips, peeled and cubed

• 2/3 cup (160 ml.) marinade

• 1/2 cup (125 ml.) sweet dessert wine – ideally Croatian Prošec, but I used Marsala

• a handful (about 10 large) pitted prunes, divided

• 4-6 dried figs, preferably Turkish

• 2 tbsp. (30 g.) tomato paste or concentrate

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

• a tiny pinch of clove (optional)

• 2-3 bay leaves

• a few rosemary sprigs, leaves

• a few thyme sprigs, leaves

Directions

• Preparation & Marinade
• Pat dry the beef.
• Peel and slice each garlic clove into 2-3 segments.
• Slice the pancetta into pieces the size of the garlic segments
• Insert a knife into the meat at a 30-degree angle, making small pockets a few centimeters apart. Fill the incisions with garlic, pancetta slices, and cloves, alternating them.
• Transfer the beef into a glass or ceramic pot. Pour in the wine vinegar or apple cider and wine. Add the rosemary sprigs and any remaining garlic.
• Marinate overnight. As the marinade will likely not cover fully the beef, be sure to flip it once halfway.
• Pašticada:
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. using a paper towel, pat dry the beef (don’t discard the marinade). Transfer the beef to the pan and sear well on all sides, it will take between 10 to 15 minutes.
• Lower heat to low-medium or high-low. Add the onions, celeriac root, and parsley to the pan arranging the vegetables around the meat. Season well with salt and pepper, as well as nutmeg. Simmer for about 40-45 minutes until a the onions are very soft. If the pan looks too dry, add a few splashes of water.
• Add the dessert wine and marinade, as well as a half of prunes, figs, and tomato paste (concentrate). The sauce will only partially cover the meat, and that’s fine. Cover and cook the meat on low for about 1.5 hours, until the beef is tender.
• Remove the meat from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Cut it into 1.5 cm thick slices.
• Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce until the desired consistency. Typically, it is quite smooth, but I left it slightly chunkier. Try and season more if necessary. Also, it is a good time to add more marinade or sweet wine, to balance out the acidity and sweetness.
• Return the sauce to the pot. Arrange the sliced beef. Add the remaining prunes and few extra rosemary sprigs, as well as bay leaves. Also, while recipes did not call for that, I added a tiny pinch of ground clove; I just love its flavour – it’s totally optional. If the sauce is too thick, and it does not require more marinade or sweet wine, you can thinner it up with some water.
• Simmer for about 30 minutes. Try once again to see whether the sauce requires anything else i.e., more salt, dried prunes, rosemary, sweet wine or marinade.
• Serve with gnocchi or pasta, ideally homemade and parsley, if desired. I serve with store-bought potato skillet gnocchi.

Notes

• Please be sure to have a few extra prunes, figs, and rosemary, as well as sweet wine. You may need to add more to balance out the flavour to your liking. If you don’t have dessert wine, I think you can add a little sugar or few extra dried fruit.