Meat with Gravy: Braised Beef in Tomato Sauce Recipe

Step-by-step recipe

1. Every sauce consists of a liquid base and fillings, plus spices, herbs and seasonings. A sauce is often made from a standard sauce, a so-called mother sauce, by adding various components to it. Such a sauce is then called a derivative sauce. It's worth saying that a sauce can be made separately and a dish then cooked with the ready sauce, or the sauce can be created while the dish itself is cooking.
   
2. The beef should not be too old or dark, and should be free of excess fat, membranes and bones. Cut the meat into large cubes, about the size of a walnut. Pour olive oil into a sauté pan and fry the beef pieces in it. At first the meat will release some liquid, and it will only start to brown once that has evaporated.
   
3. Fry the beef pieces until a light golden crust forms. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
4. Peel the onion and cut it coarsely, ideally into strips, or cut the onion lengthwise into 8-10 wedges. Peel the garlic and chop it with a knife, not too finely.
5. Add the onion to the meat and fry everything together until the onion starts to brown and change color.
   
6. Add the chopped garlic and a cup of water, and braise the meat and onion over low heat, tightly covered, for 1 hour. If the beef isn't very tough, that's enough: it will become nice and tender. If the beef is on the tough side, braise it longer.
   
7. Blanch the tomato with boiling water, remove the skin and seeds. Finely chop the tomato flesh with a knife or blitz it in a blender. Add the tomato to the meat. If the tomato isn't very ripe, or tomatoes are out of season, you can use 1 tbsp of tomato paste diluted with a little water instead.
   
8. Braise the meat with the onion and tomato, covered, for 10-12 minutes. If the water has boiled away, add a little from the kettle.
   
9. I prefer meat with gravy made without any extra thickening. The onion and tomato are enough: as they braise, they form the sauce, the gravy.
10. But if you want more gravy, or a flour-based one, you can do this: in a dry frying pan, toast 1 heaped tbsp of wheat flour until it gives off a light nutty smell and turns slightly golden. Add hot water to the flour a little at a time, stirring vigorously. Bring the flour sauce to the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the flour sauce to the meat in the sauté pan, stir, and braise the meat in its gravy, covered, at the gentlest simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Once the gravy has reached the thickness you want, the meat with gravy is ready. Prepare a side dish: mashed potatoes are perfect. Spoon the mashed potatoes onto a plate, placing them closer to the edge to form a rim. Pour the meat with gravy into the middle and sprinkle with finely chopped dill and parsley.
    
12. If you like, you can eat the meat with gravy like a thick soup, with bread or lavash. It's very tasty with a pinch of coarsely ground hot red pepper.