Balsamic beef ragout

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 carrots
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• a little oil for frying
• 800 g beef goulash, e.g. shoulder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• a little pepper
• e.g. paprika powder
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 100 ml balsamic vinegar
• 250 ml red wine (the same as served with the meal)
• 2 carnations
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp liquid honey
• 400 ml veal stock
• 150 ml water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours

…. tastes even better the next day

Preheat oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Peel the carrots, onions, and garlic, and cut into equal-sized pieces. Heat a little (!) oil in a roasting pan (otherwise the meat will absorb too much water) and brown the meat in batches for about 5 minutes each. Remove from the pan, season with salt, pepper, and paprika, and dust with flour. Reduce the heat in the roasting pan, adding a little more oil if necessary. Now fry the carrots, onions, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and fry briefly. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and red wine, and reduce everything by half. Then add the cloves, bay leaves, and honey. Now pour in the veal stock and water, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the meat and any juices back in. Cover and braise in the lower half of the hot oven for about 2 1/4 – 2 1/2 hours.