Kalops (Swedish Beef Stew with Allspice)

About This Recipe

Kalops is a real, traditional Swedish dish, known as Swedish Beef Stew with Allspice. A slow-braised beef stew with onions and whole allspice berries, simmered until deeply tender and served with boiled potatoes.\n\nKalops is a classic Swedish home-cooked stew whose name derives from the English 'collops', meaning sliced meat, reflecting British culinary influence that entered Swedish cooking in earlier centuries.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Swedish home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgbeef chuck(cut into large cubes)
• 3 tbspbutter
• 2yellow onions(sliced)
• 8whole allspice berries
• 2bay leaves
• 2 tbspall-purpose flour
• 500 mlbeef stock
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 800 gpotatoes(boiled, to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the beef

   Melt butter in a heavy pot and brown the beef cubes in batches over high heat, about 4 minutes per batch; set aside.

2. 2

   Cook the onions

   In the same pot, cook the onions over medium heat until soft and golden, about 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Add flour

   Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw taste.

4. 4

   Build the stew

   Return the beef to the pot, add allspice berries, bay leaves, stock and tomato paste, and bring to a simmer.

5. 5

   Braise low and slow

   Cover and simmer gently for 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fork-tender.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Season with salt and pepper, remove bay leaves, and serve hot over boiled potatoes.

Variations

• •

  Some households add sliced carrots in the last 45 minutes for extra vegetables.

• •

  A splash of vinegar at the end brightens the rich sauce, a common regional touch.

• •

  Use a chuck roast cut into large chunks instead of stew meat for a more traditional texture.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions