Karjalanpaisti (Karelian stew)

Name: Karjalanpaisti (Karelian stew)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 200 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb beef shank, raw, boneless beef shin or chuck, in 4 cm (1 1/2-inch) cubes; 12 oz raw pork shoulder, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed, in 4 cm (1 1/2-inch) cubes; 3 medium onions, in wedges; 6 medium carrots, in thick slices; 15 whole allspice berries ground allspice; 10 whole peppercorns black peppers; 3 bay leaves bay leaf; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 3 cups water, hot; 1 1/3 lb potato, floury, peeled; 1/2 cup 1% milk, hot; 2 tsp butter; 1/4 cup lingonberry jam, reduced sugar; 1 cup sliced pickled beetroot, drained, pickled beetroot, drained

200 min · 45 g protein · 511 cals / serving

Finland's slow-baked hotpot of beef and pork, layered with onions, whole allspice and bay and left in a low oven until the meat falls apart into its own deep, savoury juices. No browning and no fuss. It comes to the table the Finnish way, with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and a few slices of pickled beetroot.

Karjalanpaisti (Karelian stew)

200 min · 45 g protein · 511 cals / serving

Servings4

Ingredients

1 lb beef shank, raw, boneless beef shin or chuck, in 4 cm (1 1/2-inch) cubes
12 oz raw pork shoulder, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed, in 4 cm (1 1/2-inch) cubes
3 medium onions, in wedges
6 medium carrots, in thick slices
15 whole allspice berries ground allspice
10 whole peppercorns black peppers
3 bay leaves bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups water, hot

Mashed potatoes

1 1/3 lb potato, floury, peeled
1/2 cup 1% milk, hot
2 tsp butter

To serve

1/4 cup lingonberry jam, reduced sugar
1 cup sliced pickled beetroot, drained

Steps

Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large casserole with a lid, layer the beef, pork, onion and carrot, scattering the allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt between the layers.
Pour in enough hot water to almost cover the meat. Cover with the lid.
Bake for 3 hours, giving it a gentle stir after each hour and adding a splash of water if it looks dry, until the meat is tender enough to break with a spoon. Take the lid off for the last 30 minutes so the top browns a little.
For the last 30 minutes, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft, drain, and mash with the hot milk, butter and a pinch of salt.
Taste the stew for salt. Serve it with its juices over the mashed potatoes, with lingonberries and pickled beetroot alongside.

Good to know

Is it traditionally three meats?

Often: beef, pork and lamb in equal parts. Swap the pork for lamb shoulder if you can find it; it's about the same score.

No browning at all?

None. The long, slow bake develops the flavour, and the meat colours where it sits above the juices. That is the dish's whole charm on a busy day.

Can I cook it in a slow cooker?

Yes: 7–8 hours on low with about half the water, since a slow cooker loses little liquid.

Per

Calories: 76
Protein: (36%); 7 g
Fat: (22%); 2 g
Carbohydrates: (42%); 8 g
of which sugar: 3 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 159 mg

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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How

As written, 2042 kcal goes into the pot and 3202 g of ingredients comes out as about 2700 g of food: 76 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.

Karjalanpaisti (Karelian stew)

Karjalanpaisti (Karelian stew)