Delicious classic recipe for beef chuck steak (Dutch draadjesvlees)

Deliciously Dutch: draadjesvlees! We make it with sukade; beef cut from the shoulder. Sukadelapjes are easy to recognize at the butcher by their marbling and the sinew running lengthwise through the center. It is a braising cut that first needs to be seared briefly before being left to braise very gently until tender.

This Dutch classic comes from Rudolph van Veen, specifically from his book Lekker Hollands. It is an ode to Dutch cuisine, with more than 70 recipes from the past and present. Japanese, Thai or Italian food is all equally delicious, but sometimes we forget how good our own Dutch cuisine is! Whether you are making Brabant sausage rolls or sukadelapjes, this is Dutch comfort food at its best.

Delicious gravy

When you make sukadelapjes, you automatically get delicious gravy too, which is wonderful spooned over potatoes. Another advantage of sukadelapjes is that you can easily prepare them one or more days in advance and then gently reheat them in the gravy.

• Let the sukadelapjes come to room temperature briefly before searing them.
• Peel the onion and garlic. Peel the winter carrot and celeriac. Cut the onion, garlic, winter carrot and celeriac into pieces that are not too small. Crush the juniper berries so their flavor can be released easily.
• Season the meat with salt and pepper. Mix the paprika with the flour and coat both sides of the meat in it.
• Heat the sunflower oil and butter in a heavy-based Dutch oven and brown the sukadelapjes nicely on both sides. Remove the meat from the pan and place it on a plate for a moment.
• Briefly sauté the onion, garlic, winter carrot and celeriac in the remaining cooking fat. Add the tomato purée and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring.

• Add the bay leaves, cloves and juniper berries, then pour in the red wine, water and Worcestershire sauce. Return the meat to the pan and bring everything just to a boil. Turn the heat as low as possible so the liquid barely simmers. Cover the pan and let the meat cook gently for 3 hours. Alternatively, you can place your Dutch oven in the oven at 90 °C for 3 hours —this works perfectly and keeps things wonderfully calm.
• Carefully remove the meat from the pan and place it on a plate. Pour the delicious gravy through a sieve into a clean pan and bring it back to a boil. Discard what remains in the sieve. Taste the gravy and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the brown sugar to make the flavor slightly ‘rounder’. Mix the cornstarch with a splash of cold water and stir it into the gravy. This gives the gravy a little more body, making it more pleasant on the palate and helping it cling better to the meat.
• Return the meat to the gravy to warm through and serve with potato croquettes and your favorite vegetables.