Kalops (Swedish beef stew)
155 min · 49 g protein · 504 cals / serving
Grandma's slow beef stew: chunks of beef shin browned hard and braised for two hours with whole allspice and bay until they fall apart, in a dark, spiced gravy full of onion, carrot and swede. Served the only right way, with boiled potatoes and sweet pickled beetroot on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb beef shank, raw, boneless beef shin (benfri nötlägg), in 4 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (bleached)
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 3 medium onions, cut into wedges
- 12 whole allspice berries ground allspice
- 3 bay leaves bay leaf
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 5 medium carrots, in thick slices
- 1/2 swede rutabaga, in 3 cm chunks
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
To serve
- 5 medium potatoes, peeled
- a small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Toss the beef with the flour and salt. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the meat in two batches, 4–5 minutes each, until deep brown on several sides. Lift it out.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the onion wedges and fry for 4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Return the beef with any juices, add the allspice, bay leaves and broth, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 hours.
- Add the carrot, swede and pepper, cover again and simmer for 30–40 minutes more, until the beef falls apart under a fork and the roots are tender. If the gravy is thin, simmer uncovered for the last 10 minutes. Taste for salt.
- Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, 20 minutes, and drain. Serve the kalops with the potatoes, pickled beetroot and parsley.
Good to know
Which cut is best?
Boneless beef shin (nötlägg) is lean and full of connective tissue that melts into the gravy, so it turns silky after two hours. Högrev (chuck) or bog (shoulder), well trimmed, work too; a lean roasting cut would turn dry.
Can I use ground allspice?
Whole berries are traditional and give a softer, rounder spice. With ground allspice use 1/2 teaspoon and add it with the broth.
Does it keep?
It is even better the next day and keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Boil the potatoes fresh.
Per
- Calories
- 72
- Protein
- (40%)
- 7 g
- Fat
- (18%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (43%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 207 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2017 kcal goes into the pot and 3195 g of ingredients comes out as about 2800 g of food: 72 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.