Tomatoes and beef are a harmonious combination that can already be called classic.
The meat is tasty, juicy and aromatic, but only if it is properly cooked. We offer a selection of the best recipes for making tender beef with tomatoes.
Beef with Tomatoes - General Cooking Principles
There are several ways to cook beef with tomatoes:
• stew;
• bake;
• fry, including on the grill.
Regardless of the variant of heat treatment and the characteristics of the recipe, the main thing is to achieve the juiciness and softness of the meat. Many housewives do not like beef due to the fact that it can turn out to be dry and stiff. To avoid this, you need to follow the recipe, do not deviate from technology and know a few tricks.
Beef. A tasty and tender dish will turn out if you use young and fresh meat. This can be determined by color, it should be light, without windy crusts. The surface of the meat is easily restored after pressing, the fossa does not remain. It is easiest to make a mistake with the quality of the product if you buy it in frozen form. Therefore, for beef with tomatoes, it is better to take chilled meat or fresh meat.
Cutting pieces is also of great importance. Regardless of size, it is better to cut the meat across the fibers. When baking in large pieces, they can be slightly discouraged.
Tomatoes You can take absolutely any: red, pink, yellow, large, small or cherry. Also, fresh, frozen, dried tomatoes are added to the dishes. But! Tomatoes are never added at the beginning of the stew. The acid contained in them will prevent the softening of the fibers of meat and beef with tomatoes will turn tough. It is better to add the product 10 minutes before the end of cooking. If the meat is cooked in the oven, then the tomatoes are added immediately, but the beef needs to be pickled or beaten in advance.
In addition to tomatoes, other vegetables, fruits, and cereals can be added to dishes. They are processed and added according to the recipe. But if the meat is in doubt and remains tough for a long time, then you can increase the time before laying the rest of the ingredients.
Recipe 1: Braised Beef with Tomatoes
A classic recipe for beef stew with tomatoes and onions. You can cook in a deep frying pan, stewpan or cauldron on the stove.
Ingredients Required:
• beef 1 kg;
• tomatoes 4 pcs.;
• onion 3 pcs.;
• oil 50 gr.;
• salt, herbs and spices to taste.
Cooking method
Peel the onions and cut into large half rings. Rinse the meat in cold water, dry it with a paper towel and cut into 2 × 2 cm cubes. Pour oil into a pan, put on fire. When it is hot, pour onion, lightly fry and add beef. Fry for several minutes, reduce heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer. From time to time you need to watch and, if necessary, add boiled water.
While stewing the meat, wash and cut the tomatoes into slices. When the meat is almost ready, salt, you can add any spices, put tomatoes and stew for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the cooked beef with tomatoes with herbs.
Recipe 2: Beef with Tomatoes and a Cheese Oven
The meat cooked according to this recipe is tender, has a juicy layer and a crispy cheese crust. It takes only 15 minutes to cook, and the oven will do the rest.
Ingredients Required:
• a piece, preferably with a fat of 0.8 kg;
• 3 pcs. Tomato
• cheese 0.2 kg;
• 1/3 cup oil;
• onion;
• vinegar;
• salt.
Cooking method
Before cooking the meat, peel the onion, cut into neat rings and add water, acidified with vinegar. While the onion is pickled, you need to do meat. To do this, it is cut into portioned pieces, 2 cm thick, the size of a palm. Fibers beat off with a hammer on both sides. Tomatoes are cut into circles. Pour oil into the cooking pan. Do not be afraid of its quantity, so the meat will be tastier. Put the chopped pieces of meat. On each put rings of pickled onions, then mugs of tomato. Slightly add salt and sprinkle cheese on top of the workpieces. Cook the beef with tomatoes in the oven at a temperature of 180 -200 ° C for 50 minutes.
Recipe 3: Beef with tomatoes under a potato coat
A hearty dish that does not require a side dish. It is cooked in the oven, it looks solemn, therefore it can become a wonderful decoration of the festive table.
Ingredients Required:
• meat 1 kg;
• 3 tomatoes;
• 3 potatoes;
• 0.2 kg of cheese;
• 200g mayonnaise;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• salt pepper;
• oil to lubricate the mold.
Cooking method
Cut the meat in portions as in the previous recipe, beat, add salt, pepper. Peel the garlic and potatoes, cut the tomatoes into circles. Chop the garlic, mix with mayonnaise. Rub the potatoes on a coarse grater. Put the meat in a greased form, put the mug of tomato on top, then make a cap of grated potatoes, gently press it to the chop and grease it with mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle all the pieces of meat on top of the potatoes with sauce. Cook in the oven until cooked at 190 ° C.
Recipe 4: Beef with Tomato and Eggplant
A simple but tasty dish of available vegetables. Cook the beef with tomatoes and eggplant on a stove in a deep pan.
Ingredients Required:
• beef 0.5 kg;
• tomatoes 0.3 kg;
• 2 eggplants;
• 1 pepper;
• 1 onion;
• salt, frying oil.
Cooking method
Rinse the beef, cut into cubes 1 × 1 cm. Peel the onion, cut into cubes, lightly fry in oil and put the beef to it. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. At this time, cut the eggplant into cubes, if the peel is thick, then it needs to be cleaned. Salt the eggplant pieces and leave for a while so that bitterness comes out. Remove the entrails from the pepper, cut into cubes. Grate tomatoes, remove the skin. Pour the eggplant into the semi-prepared meat, fry for 2 minutes. Then add chopped pepper, salt and fry all together for another 2-3 minutes. Pour grated tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes.
Recipe 5: Beef with Tomatoes and Lingonberries
An original meat dish in which cranberries are added. Similarly, cranberries can be used to cook beef with tomatoes.
Ingredients Required:
• meat 0.7 kg;
• flour 0.05 kg;
• lingonberry 0.1 kg;
• 2 tomatoes;
• salt;
• butter.
Cooking method
Cut the beef into strips, like beef stroganoff. Put the pan on the fire, pour oil. Pour flour into the prepared meat and mix. Quickly fry breaded slices in hot oil over high heat for 1-2 minutes. The meat will get a crust. Then reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid and stew the meat for 40-50 minutes. Add hot water if necessary. While the meat is being stewed, chop the tomatoes in a blender, but it is possible on a grater. So even more convenient, immediately remove the skin. Add the tomatoes to the meat, salt, pour the lingonberries and stew the beef for another 15 minutes. Optionally add greens at the end.
Recipe 6: Potted Beef with Tomatoes and Red Wine
Wine gives meat not only softness, but also a divine aroma. The dish is prepared in clay pots. Time is selected individually, depending on the size of the container. For portioned pots with beef and tomatoes, 300-400 ml is enough for 1.5 hours.
Ingredients Required:
• beef 0.8 kg;
• dry wine 0.1 kg;
• 2 tomatoes;
• salt pepper;
• broth 0.5 l;
• onion.
Cooking method
Cut the meat into arbitrary slices, not very finely. Onions in half rings, sliced tomatoes. Put onions in pots, meat on top, and chopped tomatoes. Mix the broth with wine, salt and pour the meat. Put in the oven.
Recipe 7: Beef with Tomatoes in the Sleeve
A simple recipe for lovers of healthy, low-calorie foods. Beef with tomatoes in the sleeve is juicy, cooked without oil and greasy dressings, but you can add them if you wish.
Ingredients Required:
• 1 kg of beef;
• 3 tomatoes;
• 100 gr. sour cream;
• 3 onions;
• 1 carrot;
• salt, spices.
Cooking method
We cut the meat into 2 × 2 cm cubes. Onions and tomatoes in arbitrary pieces, carrots in circles. Combine all ingredients, salt, add sour cream, spices, mix and put in a sleeve. Put in a mold, pierce 1-2 holes and put in the oven at 200 ° C for an hour. Then get out the form, carefully cut the sleeve, straighten it to the sides and put the meat back into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes until a fragrant crust appears on top.
Recipe 8: Beef with Tomatoes in a Multicooker
The recipe for the happy owners of a kitchen helper - a multicooker. Active cooking of beef with tomatoes will take no more than 10 minutes, then you just have to wait.
Ingredients Required:
• beef 1 kg;
• 4 tomatoes;
• 2 onions;
• salt.
Cooking method
Cut the meat into medium slices of 2-3 cm, onions and tomatoes arbitrarily. Salt everything, mix. If desired, you can add any dried herbs and spices. Put the products in the multicooker bowl, add 200 ml of water, you can broth. Close the lid, put the quenching program for 2 hours.
This meat is suitable for any side dishes. But if you want to make it thicker and don’t need the sauce, then you can not add water. Usually enough juice is enough to stew the vegetables.
Recipe 9: Beef with Tomatoes in Puff Pastry
An original recipe for a portioned dish that can be used both on holidays and on weekdays. To make beef with tomatoes more tender, you can marinate in soy sauce.
Ingredients Required:
• puff pastry 0.5 kg;
• beef 0.4 kg;
• onion 1 pc.;
• a tomato;
• salt.
Cooking method
Cut the beef into plates, beat slightly, then chop each with an arbitrary straw. Add onion and sliced tomato into the meat. Salt the filling, mix and set aside. Roll puff pastry into the formation. Cut into squares 15 × 15 cm. In each, put the filling in the center and pinch the edges. Can be made in the form of envelopes or bags. So that the edges stick together well, you need to walk on them with a brush dipped in water. Bake beef in the oven at medium temperature for about an hour.
Beef with Tomatoes - Tips and Tricks
• If you get unsuccessful meat and it stays tough for a long time, then a pinch of soda can be added to stew.
• To make the meat soft and juicy when baked in the oven, it can be marinated in mustard for 2-3 hours in advance.
• If you need to beat meat, it is more convenient to do this through cling film. The juice will not splash, it will remain inside, the pieces will be smoother and more intact.
• Beef goes well with soy sauce. It gives the meat a piquant taste, makes it juicier and softer. It is important to remember that it is quite salty.
• To preserve juiciness in meat, it must be quickly fried in oil, and then proceed to stew. Protein will curl up and prevent juices from leaving pieces.
• Very often, ready-made beef with tomatoes is spoiled by tough skins from tomatoes, so that this does not happen they can be removed in advance. To do this, the vegetables are dipped in boiling water for several seconds, and then dipped in cold water. The skin will be easy to clean.
• When stewing meat, you can use not only fresh, but also dried, pickled or salted tomatoes. In the last two cases, it is important to carefully salt, so as not to overdo it.
These tricks will help to cook delicious beef with tomatoes, which is sure to please its juiciness.
