Karjalanpaisti (Karelian Stew)

My Story

Karjalanpaisti was always our Christmas luxury meal—meat, meat, and more meat. In Australia, we used equal parts pork and beef, with half as much lamb (2:2:1 ratio). I’ve heard in Finland they sometimes use reindeer, which I’d love to try one day. The funny part? We always ate it at Christmas in Queensland’s blazing summer. A dish designed to keep Finns warm in sub-zero winters was bubbling away on our table in the middle of tropical heat. To us, that was Christmas: hot, steamy casseroles in summer. I’d recommend others enjoy it in winter, but to me, it’ll always taste like home and tradition.

Recipe

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 400 g beef, cubed
• 400 g pork, cubed
• 200 g lamb, cubed
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup Black peppercorns
• Water to cover
• Optional: bay leaves, small root vegetables (carrots, parsnips)

Method

Cooking Instructions

• Preheat oven to 250 °C.
• Place cubed meat in an ovenproof pot and brown for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add water to just cover, salt, and any aromatics.
• Cover pot, reduce oven to 150 °C, and braise for ~3 hours.
• Serve steaming hot with potatoes, bread, or pickles.