Reisfleisch (Meat with Rice)

The “Reisfleisch” has its origin in Serbia and Hungary; but very soon the hearty and tasty delicacy became an essential component of the Viennese cuisine. Today, a lot of versions of this simple and inexpensive dish can be found all over the world, in India, for example, it is enriched with curry! The Viennese cuisine is truly international!

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 kg (2 lb) veal or beef cheek (alternatively beef shoulder)
300 g (0,7 lb) risotto rice
2 - 2,5 l (2 qt) beef stock (or vegetable stock)
500 g (1 lb) onions (cut in fine rings)
1 bulb garlic (cut in half with skin)
200 ml (0,3 pt) red wine
1 tbsp paprika powder
1 cooking spoon sugar
300 g (0,7 lb) canned tomatoes (peeled)
1 leaf bay
1 sprig marjoram (small)
caraway seeds (whole)
4 tbsp parmesan
1 pepper (red and green)
salt
ground pepper
flour
pork dripping (or oil for sautéeing)
butter (for the risotto)
marjoram (or thyme for decoration)

Preparation:

Clean the meat and chop into bite-size pieces and season with pepper and salt. Dredge in flour. Using an ovenproof pan, quickly fry the meat in dripping or olive oil. Remove from the pan. Sauté the onion rings in the pan until transparent, then add the bay leaf, caraway seeds, sugar and marjoram. Add the meat again, and place in a preheated oven (at 180 °C) and braise for about 40 minutes. Spoon out about 300 ml of the meat juice and strain it to use for the risotto. After about 40 minutes, stir into the pan the paprika powder, and quickly pour in the red wine and some stock. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook for another 60-80 minutes, regularly turning the meat over in the juices and adding stock if necessary.
About 20 minutes before the meat is done, sauté the risotto rice in butter and pour over about 300 ml of the cooking liquid. Add about 150 ml more stock, bring to the boil and, stirring regularly, cook for about 18 minutes until the rice is al dente. If necessary add more stock so that the risotto becomes nice and creamy. Bind with parmesan and piece of cold butter about the size of a nut. While the risotto is binding, seed the peppers and cut into thick strips. Cook in olive oil until tender.
Test the meat with a knife to see if it's tender. If so, remove it and keep warm. If the sauce has become too thick, thin it with some stock. Strain the sauce through a strainer, and season to taste.
Serve the meat with the rice on warmed, deep plates. Briefly sauté the peppers in olive oil and place on the plates. Decorate with marjoram or thyme and pour over the sauce.

Enjoy with: Red wine - elegant and complex