Trinchado | Spicy South African Beef
Trinchado, a spicy South African braised beef dish, is brimming with flavor from onions, red chile peppers, garlic, beef stock, red wine, and olives. Serve with lots of bread and French fries.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1-inch (25-mm) cubes
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 3 or 4 small hot red chile peppers, stemmed and chopped (keep the seeds)
- 4 garlic cloves (or more if you're a garlic head), minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup good quality store-bought or homemade beef stock
- 1 cup red wine or 1/2 cup (120 ml) brandy
- 1 bay leaf
- 24 oil-cured black olives, preferably pitted
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Bread for dunking
- French fries for serving, (optional; not classic but popular)
- Chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the butter and oil. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add the beef cubes in 4 or 5 batches and brown well on all sides. Don't crowd the pan or rush this step; this is what gives the dish its flavor. Remove the cubes with a slotted spoon to a warm plate and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the onions, chile peppers and their seeds, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour's fully cooked, about 2 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you're worried about the flour clumping, you can load the 2 tablespoons of flour into a mesh strainer and gently dust over the veggies instead of just dumping it in.
- Pour in the stock and red wine (or brandy). Stir until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3 minutes. Add the bay leaf, olives, browned beef cubes and any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Check every 15 minutes or so until the meat is very tender.
- To serve, season the trinchado with salt and pepper and scoop it into a large bowl. Top it with fries or serve them on the side. Have lots of bread on hand for dunking. Originally published October 20, 2002.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 628kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 579mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g