One of the things I love about Spanish cooking is discovering dishes that don’t appear on every tourist menu.
Fricandó is a lovely example. This traditional Catalan beef stew is made with thin slices of beef, slowly cooked in a rich sauce with onions, tomatoes, wine and mushrooms.
It’s very different from the chunky beef stews you might be used to. Instead of cutting the meat into cubes, you use thin slices that become tender as they simmer in the sauce.
And the sauce is really what makes this dish special.
A Catalan Classic with a Little Twist
Traditional fricandó is often prepared with dried wild mushrooms called moixernons. They have a wonderful earthy flavor, and the liquid used to soak them adds even more depth to the sauce.
For my version, I also use fresh mushrooms and black olives.
The olives give the dish a lovely savory Mediterranean touch, while the combination of fresh and dried mushrooms makes the sauce particularly flavorful.
I like serving it with saffron rice, which looks beautiful alongside the dark sauce. But a good piece of crusty bread is just as delicious, especially when there’s plenty of sauce left on the plate.
Even Better the Next Day
This is one of those dishes I enjoy making ahead.
After an hour and a half of gentle simmering, the beef becomes tender and the sauce develops a rich, concentrated flavor.
And like so many good stews, it’s even better the following day.
Sometimes the nicest dinners are the ones you can simply warm up, put in a deep bowl and enjoy with a glass of wine.
Fricandó – Catalan Beef Stew with Mushrooms and Black Olives
Ingredients
- 800 g 1¾ lb beef round or top sirloin, cut into thin slices approximately 5 mm (¼ inch) thick
- 30 g 1 oz dried wild mushrooms, preferably moixernons or a mixed wild mushroom selection
- 150 g 5.3 oz fresh mushrooms, such as shiitake or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 ripe tomato finely grated
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 150 ml ⅔ cup dry white wine
- 500 ml about 2 cups beef stock
- 100 g 3.5 oz whole pitted black olives
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil or as needed for frying
- Fine sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped, for serving
- Saffron rice or turmeric rice
- Crusty bread optional
Method
- Place the dried wild mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water. Leave to soak for approximately 30 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until softened. Drain the mushrooms through a fine sieve, reserving the soaking liquid. If the liquid contains grit, strain it through a coffee filter or fine cloth.
- Season the beef slices lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dust both sides with the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat. Working in batches, briefly brown the beef slices on both sides. They should develop a little color but do not need to cook through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped onions to the same casserole and cook for approximately 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the sliced fresh mushrooms and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and release their moisture.
- Stir in the grated tomato and tomato paste. Cook for another 3–4 minutes, allowing the tomato mixture to reduce slightly.
- Pour in the dry white wine and stir well, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the casserole. Allow the wine to simmer for approximately 2–3 minutes.
- Return the beef slices to the casserole, together with any juices from the plate. Add the soaked wild mushrooms, beef stock and black olives.
- Add some of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid for extra flavor, making sure any sediment has been removed. Use only as much as needed to create a generous sauce without completely drowning the meat.
- Bring everything to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for approximately 1½ hours, or until the beef is tender. Stir occasionally and make sure the sauce does not dry out.
- If the sauce is too thin toward the end of cooking, remove the lid and simmer for another 5–10 minutes to reduce it. If it becomes too thick, add a little water or beef stock.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remember that the olives and stock may already contain salt.
- Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley and serve hot with saffron rice, turmeric rice or crusty bread.
