Pašticada, a braised beef dish, is an absolute classic in Croatia, but how can it be a vegan highlight? The Green PearlsⓇ Hotel Korinjak shows you how with its entirely vegan and vegetarian menu.
A healthy and sustainable lifestyle in Croatia
The Hotel Korinjak, located on the island of Iž, promotes an ecological and mindful lifestyle. It offers yoga, sound massages, and a menu without meat, fish, or eggs.
“”Our mission is to promote a lifestyle in harmony with nature, which includes conscious nutrition,” they say. “We believe that food should not only nourish the body, but also the mind — light, wholesome, and full of vitality.”
The secret to the vegan pašticada is its sweet and sour sauce, which contains cloves, plums, and a pinch of cinnamon
The sauce is what makes this famous Dalmatian dish so special. A blend of onions, carrots, plums, and aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg gives it a festive, exotic flair.
Vegan Pašticada
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 300 g Seitan or soy medallions
- 1 Red onion sliced or rings
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 100 ml Dry red wine vegan
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 spring Rosemary
- Splash of Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
For the sauce:
- 2 Onion medium size (finely chopped)
- 2 carrots sliced into rounds
- 1 small Parsely root or a piece of celery (chopped)
- 1 tbsp tomatoe paste
- 2 tbsp Prošek (Croatian desert wine) or date syrup
- 2-3 Dried prunes chopped
- 1 pickled cucumber finely chopped
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 2-3 Cloves or a pinch of ground cloves
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- 500 ml Vegetable broth or water
Optional Tip for additional taste
- Splash of Balsamic vinegar
- pinch of Cinnamon
- pinch of Nutmeg
Instructions
Marinate the protein
- Slice the seitan (or rehydrate soy medallions according to package instructions).
- Place in a bowl with onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, bay leaf, and rosemary.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
Searing and sautéing
- Remove the seitan from the marinade and briefly sear it in olive oil until golden on both sides. Set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the chopped onions, carrots, and parsley root (or celery) until soft.
- Add tomato paste, prošek or date syrup, dried prunes, chopped pickle, mustard, and spices. Let everything cook for a few minutes to release the aromas.
- Simmering
- Return the seitan to the pan. Add vegetable broth and some of the marinade.
- Simmer on low heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If using soy medallions, stir gently so they don't fall apart.)
- You can partially blend the sauce with an immersion blender at the end to thicken it, leaving some texture.
- For an extra depth of flavor add near the end of cooking a slash of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. This will enrich the flavor beautifully.
Serving suggestion
- The Hotel Korinjak recommends homemade potato gnocchi (egg-free) or creamy mashed potatoes with olive oil and parsley next to it.
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