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Kalops

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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    Posted: 03 February 2016 at 20:37

Kalops

Swedish Beef Stew With Sour Cream


From Time/Life’s Foods of the World - The Cooking of Scandinavia, 1968:


To serve 4:


2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut in 1½-inch cubes

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1.25 cups beef stock, freshly made or canned

2 tablespoons sour cream


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet. When the foam subsides, add the meat and brown it well on all sides.


Transfer the meat to a 3- to 4-quart casserole equipped with a cover. Add the sliced onion to the skillet (with more butter and oil if necessary) and cook over moderate heat until soft and transparent. Scrape them into the casserole, add the flour and toss the ingredients lightly with a wooden spoon to coat them evenly. Add the salt, allspice, pepper and bay leaf.


Pour the stock into the skillet and boil it rapidly for 2 or 3 minutes, scraping into the liquid any browned bits of meat and onions clinging to the pan. Pour into the casserole. Bring the casserole to a boil on top of the stove, cover it tightly, then set in the lower third of the oven. Cook, lowering the oven heat if necessary, so that the sauce in the casserole barely simmers. In about 1 hour and 15 minutes, the meat should be tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.


Remove the meat to a deep, heated platter and cover it lightly with foil. With a large spoon, skim the fat from the liquid in the casserole and discard it. With a wire whisk, beat in the sour cream, a tablespoon at a time. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and reheat if necessary. Then pour the finished sauce over the meat.

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 February 2016 at 11:37
Brook recently prepared this, using venison rather than beef. I will also be making this today.

Here are some of Brook's notes on his preparation:

Originally posted by Brook Brook wrote:

The Kalops is in the oven, even as we speak. I started with a bit more than two pounds of venison loin, in largish cubes. To me, using two cooking vessels (per the recipe) is kind of silly, so I made it directly in a four-quart Le Crueset Dutch oven. It smelled really good while prepping it.

I agree with Brook's assessment regarding the number of cooking vessels. I've been going back-and-forth on the question of whether to use my enameled cast iron Dutch oven, or the non-enameled one, and have decided to use the latter, simply because I seem to get a slightly better sear on the meat when doing so. As there are no acidic ingredients such as vinegar or tomato juice, the enameled cookware is not necessary, so I might as well enjoy the benefits of naked cast iron.

Here are some subsequent notes from Brook:

Quote I just tasted the Kalops. It’s a winner! 

I had to let it go 15 minutes longer than the recipe says, but that’s probably due to the size of my cubes. There’s no reason to reduce the sauce further. It thickened up nicely just in the oven.  It's hard to think of Kalops as a soup. There isn’t near enough liquid for that. For me, at least, using venison stock, it reduced just enough to make a perfect sauce. 

I served it with deep-fried veggies, zucchini pasta would be a perfect base for the stew.

You definitely need to add this to your rotation!

These are some great notes to refer to as I begin this project. Thanks, Brook!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 February 2016 at 06:38
I agree with you about the searing qualities of raw iron, Ron. Seems to be the enameled stuff doesn't get hot enough---which may be my imagination.

Reason I went with enamel is that the Le Crueset is the smallest cast-iron Dutch oven I own. My raw iron ones are much larger; too large, I thought, for this dish.
But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 February 2016 at 19:44
Aye, mine was too big to, at 6 quarts, but maybe that's a sign that I need one more Dutch oven? Tongue

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was forced to run a few urgent errands and relinquish the preparation of this dish to my son, Mike. He did a great job, starting with a chuck roast from our own beef, and this recipe is something that everyone should try, in my opinion!

We served the Kalops in simple fashion, alongside cut green beans and pickled beets. The deep, rich colour of the stew was like a siren calling to me. Mike ended up keeping it warm for a couple of extra hours in the oven, and the liquids had reduced down to a glistening, wonderful sauce.

The flavour simply can't be beat - beef, onions, a unique warmth from the allspice and black pepper - all held together by a single bay leaf, and made velvety-smooth with a touch of sour cream. I really enjoyed the balance that I found with this dish. It was as if every component of the recipe was designed to bring out the glory of beef.

It is - to me - another one of those meals that sits very well on grey days this time of year, and I truly recommend it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 February 2016 at 04:23
Making this this afternoon....will let you know how it all comes out'
Go ahead...play with your food!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 February 2016 at 01:39
As I said....tossed this dish together last night, and served it over egg noodles with a side of mixed vegetables.


I thought the dish was tasty, but the bride went bonkers over it...she absolutely loved the stuff. I guess that means I'll be making it again sometime. In all honesty, if it were just for me I'd get a bunch of mushrooms, forget the allspice and make a nice batch of stroganoff instead.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 February 2016 at 04:59
The key word there, Dave, is "tossed." It's a quick meal to prep, and it cooks itself.

I hadn't noticed the similarities with stroganoff. But you're right. Kalops is sort of the poor cousin to it. Or maybe country cousin would be a better description.

But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 February 2016 at 06:32
Husmanskost!

I'm glad you tried it, Dave, and also glad that Mrs. Hoser loved it. As you said, it is tasty, indeed.

Beautiful photo, too! You captured that glistening, rich meat and sauce perfectly. I could almost stick a fork in my computer screen and sneak a chunk or two of that wonderful beefy goodness!

As Brook said, your comparison to Stroganoff is pretty close to the mark. It didn't even cross my mind until I read your words, but yep, it must indeed be related. This makes perfect sense, if one looks at a map and considers some of the historical interactions in the region.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 November 2017 at 13:51
Well, today is a perfect day for making this; 12 degrees, plenty of snow on the ground and a little breezy. We had all of the ingredients for a double batch, including a really beautiful chuck roast from my parents' small herd of Angus/Hereford-cross cattle; therefore, I am making this again today, and I believe it is going to be incredible! It is wonderful to be doing some real cooking again, after being out of the loop for so long.

I am following the recipe almost to a "T," except for a couple of variations that I chose to make. I added half a pound of mushrooms, sliced and roughly chopped; I also used - due to necessity - a stock composed of half-beef, half-chicken. I am sure that my fully-Swedish great-grandmother will forgive me!

Because I am lazy and didn't want to do too many dishes, I prepared this entirely in my cast-iron Dutch oven, which also allowed me to get a good sear on the beef; my preparation method was therefore modified slightly in order to accommodate a one-vessel situation: searing the beef in batches, setting aside, then cooking the onions and mushrooms in the same pot. I then added the mushrooms and onions to the waiting beef, de-glazed the Dutch oven with the stock and added everything back in.

This preparation was very, very much like many similar recipes; in fact, at one point, I could have diverged after cooking the onions, added paprika and continued on with a few different ingredients to make any number of variations of gulyas. At another point, I could have used beer rather than stock, and substituted thyme for allspice, which would have given me a very plausible Carbonnade d'boeuf; a couple of other additions would have resulted in Carbonade Flamande. There probably at least a score of other possibilities, and as is so often found in cooking, we find that a method, rather than a recipe, is essential.

I allowed myself one final indulgence before I put this into a very slow oven to bubble and braise: following the example of my Alsatian ancestors, I used a little flour, salt and water to prepare a simple "paste," which I rolled into a thin rope and used to seal the Dutch oven. This is an old "trick" that I am sure is used in many regions to seal in all of the beefy, oniony goodness of this Scandinavian delight.

After a few hours in the oven, I will finish the preparation by adding the sour cream, which will turn this into an amazing, unique stew. I am sure that we are going to enjoy it!

If you have not yet tried this, there is probably no better time to do so, as we are entering the cold-weather months. If you do so, please be sure to share your story here.

Ron
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 November 2017 at 13:57
Well, everyone agreed that this was delicious! The mushrooms, which I added as an improvisation, were a nice touch, and the meal was enjoyed by all.

The only "flaw" was that I eyeballed the sour cream, and probably got a little too much in there. This lightened the colour a bit, but the flavor was just fine and very well balanced.

Another success!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 November 2017 at 03:18


Looks delicious ..  Lovely dish by  Dave Hoser ..  

I would sub  Créme Fraîche for the sour cream which  is relatively odd here ..

There is a Spanish product called  Crema Agria but it is not sour cream as in Usa Sour Cream ..   It is used in baking tarts ..    



Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 November 2017 at 08:41
Hi, Margi -

If you would like to try this sometime, I do believe that the Créme Fraîche would most likely be just fine with this.
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