PHOTO: MAJA DANICA PEČANIĆ, CNTB
Pašticada with Gnocchi

Pašticada with Gnocchi

The most traditional of Dalmatian dishes, the recipe of which varies from town to town, is served on various occasions. Prepare the Pašticada – the queen of Dalmatian cuisine, for your company of choice, according to one of many recipes.

Pašticada ingredients:

  • 1-2 kg beef
  • Pepper
  • 8 cloves
  • Some pancetta
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 0.25 kg prunes
  • 0.75 l red wine
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Salt
  • Oil

Preparation:

First, make evenly spaced little holes on the meat with a knife and then fill them with pieces of garlic, pancetta and cloves. Close the holes with pieces of meat left on the side after cutting the holes. Sauté the onions in a larger pot and then add the meat. Once the meat is finished sautéing, add the wine.

After the mixture simmers a bit, add the tomato purée and carefully season it with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for about an hour, occasionally turning the meat. While cooking, cut the meat into fillets, pouring the liquid from the pot over it. Once the meat is done, add the prunes and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve the meat with homemade gnocchi.

Gnocchi ingredients:

  • 2 kg potatoes
  • 0.30 kg flour
  • Egg
  • Some lard or oil
  • Salt

Preparation:

Cook the unpeeled potatoes in salted water. Once they cool down a bit, peel and mash them. Add an egg and lard or oil, gradually adding flour. Knead the gnocchi mixture until you get a compact mass ready for rolling. Cover the working surface with flour, roll the dough to get long strips and then cut them to smaller pieces with a knife. Cook the gnocchi in salty boiling water for several minutes. Gnocchi are done once they swim to the surface, so take them out with a strainer and add the previously prepared sauce.

Source: "From the Family Cookbook", Marijo Šperanda, Šibenik, 2018