Fricandó Recipe (Catalan Beef Stew) - Spanish Sabores (2024)

4.75 from 4 votes

Course: Stew

Cuisine: Spanish

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Author: Lauren Aloise

Stew

• ▢ 1 lb about ½ kilo beef shoulder (or rump/chuck roast)
• ▢ Flour for frying
• ▢ Olive oil for frying the meat about ¼ cup
• ▢ ¼ cup dried mushrooms if you can find them
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon of salt
• ▢ Ground pepper
• ▢ Olive oil
• ▢ 2 medium onions small dice
• ▢ 2 medium carrots small dice
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ Herbs of choice bay leaf, thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram
• ▢ 1 cup of diced tomato if buying canned, look for "petite dice"
• ▢ ½ cup 120 ml red wine
• ▢ ⅓ cup 80 ml dry sherry or port
• ▢ 5 cups 1200 ml beef stock
• ▢ ½ cup fresh seasonal mushrooms of choice whichever you prefer

PICADA (the puree we will add in at the end for flavor and texture)

• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ Small handful of fresh parsley
• ▢ 8 to toasted almonds
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons 44 ml dry port or sherry (oloroso would be perfect)
• ▢ 1 fluid ounce of sweet anisette liquor
• ▢ 5 grams dark chocolate a small chunk
• ▢ ⅓ cup water

Stew

• Clean the meat of any nerves or tendons and cut into chunks

• Season the meat with salt and pepper, and cover in flour (shake off any excess)

• Brown the meat on all sides in a heavy pot covered with olive oil, then remove the meat and reserve for later

• If using dried mushrooms, cover them with water to hydrate

• Using the same pot and oil, sauté the onion and carrot until both are cooked through and golden

• Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant

• Add the tomato paste and herbs, and sauté for about a minute

• Add the meat back in (and any juices that were released while resting)

• Cover with the diced tomatoes, red wine, and sherry/port

• Bring to a boil and then simmer until the liquid has reduced by half

• Add the beef stock and rehydrated mushrooms, make sure the meat is fully covered by liquid

• Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour, stirring every now and then

• Once the meat is tender and the stew is ready, sauté the fresh mushrooms in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper

• Add the picada (below) to the stew to taste

• Add the sauteed mushrooms to the stew right before serving

• Enjoy! I love fricandó with a side of rice or mashed potatoes - pasta or roasted potatoes (or homemade french fries) are great too!

Picada

• Put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until it is a smooth paste

To Serve

• Heat the stew and stir in the picada, a spoonful at a time. Taste as you go (some prefer only a little of the picada because of its strong flavor.