Sections
Gullash/Gullasch/Goulash/Gulyás
Chana Masala (Chickpeas)
Khichdi (One-pot meal)
Bouillabaisse (fisherman's stew)
Irish Beef Stew with Guinness Beer
Introduction
International Cuisine
"Stuvning" is a Danish word for stew or a French ragout. To stew something is to cook over low heat; to give something previously cooked a gentle boil with a "jævning". A light stew is called a fricassé, while a dark stew is covered by the broader term a ragout.
A thickener or alloy is an edible thickener commonly used to thicken sauces, soups, and puddings. Some thickeners do not change the taste of the food - and others do.
Flour for leveling is made from a specific grain (wheat, corn, rice or other) conjugated to specific heat treatment that can increase stability, consistency and general functionalities. These flours are resistant to industrial stresses such as acidic pH, sterilization, freezing conditions and can help the food industry formulate with natural ingredients. For the final consumer, these ingredients are more acceptable because they appear as "flour" in the ingredients list.
Flour is often used to thicken sauces and stews. The most basic type of thickener is flour mixed with water to make a paste, called a slurry, which is typically mixed in a flour mixer. It must be cooked thoroughly to avoid the taste of uncooked flour.
Roux is a mixture of flour and fat (usually butter) cooked into a paste, used in gravy, sauces, and stews.
Grains (oatmeal, couscous, farina, etc.) are used to thicken soups.
Yogurt is popular in Eastern Europe and the Middle East for thickening soups.
Soups can also be thickened by adding shredded starchy vegetables before cooking, although these will add their own flavor.
Tomato puree also adds thickness and flavor.
Egg yolks are a traditional sauce thickener in professional cooking; they have a rich flavor and offer a velvety texture but only achieve the desired thickening effect within a narrow temperature range. Overheating easily ruins such a sauce, which can make egg yolk difficult to use as a thickener for amateur cooks.
Millionbøf
Danish Cuisine
Introduction
"Millionbøf" is best translated as "Million Beef" or "Million Steaks", because the minced meat is broken up into many small pieces, often served with mashed potatoes, pickled beets or pickles, and can be seen as a variation of the English "Cottage Pie" if baked with mash on top. In English it would be "Minced meat with gravy", "Sloppy Joe" (if with bun), or a description like "Cottage Pie" (if with mashed potatoes) – it doesn't have a direct translation as it refers to the Danish dish, but the concept is minced meat with gravy and potatoes/pasta.
Millionbøf (Væltet Lokum)
"Væltet lokum" is a slang term for the Danish dish "Millionbøf". The nickname of this Danish staple refers to a stew that looks like something poured from a bucket.
Mashed Potatoes vs Pommes Purée
"Millionbøf" is traditionally served with soft mashed potatoes
I prefer the potatoes cut coarsely into bite-sized pieces and only cooked a la dente.
However, many chefs interpretate this traditional dish as served with a softer and smoother French style pommes purée.
If there is one thing that is at least as important as the "Millionbøf" itself, it is the mashed potatoes. The creamy consistency of the creamed potatoes provides a perfect counterpoint to the rich sauce. You can easily just use your preferred method to make the mashed potatoes, but some chefs also add sour cream (crème fraîche) to their mashed potatoes. A good, mashed potatoes should be airy but still have some structure, and this is best achieved by whisking it well and adjusting the consistency with sour cream (crème fraîche). When both elements are under control, it should be absolutely perfect. Good luck with the recipe and enjoy.
Cookware
The minced beef needs to be seared hard at medium-high temperature, so use a stainless-steel pot or sauté pan, not a coated one.
Grandma's Recipe
"Millionbøf" is one of those dishes that we just can't stop loving here in Denmark, and for good reason. It's full of nostalgia, coziness and it just tastes fantastic. Although there are a lot of variations today, this recipe comes straight from grandma's recipe folder, and it doesn't get any better than that. It's the kind of food that exudes coziness, security and Sunday dinners with the family gathered around the table, and even though we have access to ingredients from all over the world today, it's still hard to beat a good portion of "Millionbøf" with mashed potatoes. In this recipe, we stick close to the classic version, where lots of onions and a little red wine give the sauce extra depth, without removing the familiar taste that so many associate with real grandma's food.
Little things that make a difference
Although the recipe seems simple, there are a few tricks that elevate the dish from good to really good. The onions need time to soften and slightly caramelize before the other ingredients are added, so they have time to get that delicious sweetness that helps balance the rest of the dish. When searing the minced beef, it is important that it is actually fried and not boiled in its own fat, as it gives a much deeper flavor, so turn up the heat before adding the meat.
Millionbøf vs Kødsovs
No, for a classic, traditional "Millionbøf" neither tomato paste is used nor ketchup served on top.
This dish is not an Italian Bolognese, called "Kødsovs" in Danish, that is more likely to be served with pasta and not mashed potatoes.
"Millionbøf" is an everyday 20-25 min. dish (under lid) and not simmering for 2-4 hours to tenderize the meat.
Beginning
If you want to serve "Millionbøf" with potatoes or mashed potatoes, then begin with the potatoes.
If you want to serve "Millionbøf" with spaghetti or fusilli pasta, then begin with the "Millionbøf".
Minced Beef
For a "Millionbøf", a medium to high fat percentage is recommended, optimally 8-12% or 14-18% minced beef.
Here's why the choice depends on how you make your "Millionbøf"
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Medium fat percentage (8-12%): The best all-round choice. It gives lots of flavor to the sauce and meat without leaving a thick layer of fat on the surface of your "Millionbøf".
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High fat percentage (14-18%): Gives the most flavorful sauce. Fat is a flavor carrier, and the high fat content makes the meat juicy. You can advantageously pour off a little of the melted fat after browning if you think the sauce is getting too fatty.
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Low fat percentage (below 7%): Generally not recommended. The meat becomes slightly dry and grainy, and the sauce lacks the depth and flavor that the fat usually contributes.
Deglazing
Yes, it's completely normal and actually a built-in part of the process, although the word deglazing (to boil off a pan or pot) is rarely used in grandma's old recipes. A beef stock, or beef bouillon is the traditional liquid used for deglazing a classic "Millionbøf". Not red wine, balsamico or white wine vinegar is traditional, but optional.
If you want to make the dish extra flavorful, you can brown the meat in a little butter or flavorless oil together with finely chopped onion before adding the wheat flour and water mixture as a thickening agent (jævning).
Beef stock, or beef bouillon (traditional deglazing)
The classic mixing ratio for a traditional "Millionbøf" is 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 2.5 dl boiling water (or 1 tbsp. liquid beef stock to 2.5 dl water).
For a classic portion of "Millionbøf" with 500 grams of minced beef, you typically need 5 dl of beef broth in total (which corresponds to 2 bouillon cubes). This provides just the right amount of liquid to make the well-known, brown sauce.
Thickening Agent (Jævning)
The classic mixing ratio for a traditional flour mixture is 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of wheat flour to 1 deciliter (dl) of cold water.
For a classic "Millionbøf" made with 500 grams of minced beef (which typically yields about 5-7 dl of liquid in total with broth), you will need a mixture made from:
2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour
2 dl of cold water
No, as a general rule, there is no whole milk, cream or sour cream (crème fraîche) for a traditional "Millionbøf". Instead, a thickening agent (called jævning) made from flour and water is used, shaken or whisked vigorously to dissolve the mixture so that it does not clump before adding it. The thickener compensates for minced beef with a high fat percentage, to avoid that the minced beef boils in its own fat, that needs to be fried.
When making a flour mixture (a mixture of wheat flour and water/milk), the dish should be boiled or simmered for at least 5 to 10 minutes to remove the raw taste of flour.
Here are the most important details to pay attention to
Constant stirring: Stir the dish thoroughly right after you add the mixture so that no lumps form.
Low heat: Let the dish simmer over low heat after it has reached the boiling point so that it does not burn on the bottom.
The effect of starch: During the 5-10 minutes, the flour taste is "cooked away" because the starch molecules in the flour absorb liquid, swell and crack.
A good tip: If you want to completely avoid the risk of a flour taste, you can make a roux (opbagning) instead, where the flour is baked in butter first, in a 1:1 ratio, or switch to cornstarch (maizena), which only needs a quick boil to lose its raw taste.
Brown gravy dye
A "Millionbøf" usually requires a premade brown gravy dye for coloring (brun sovsekulør, 1 dollop at the time!) The traditional Danish "Millionbøf" is characterized by its dark brown, rich gravy, and here gravy coloring is the easiest and most classic way to give the dish the right color. If you want to avoid gravy coloring, you can instead get a dark color by: Browning the meat extra well, so that lots of dark roast crusts form in the pan. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste, which is sautéed at the beginning. Use a good beef broth or stock as a base for the gravy.
The color of the ready-made sauce changed over time, and nowadays can only be considered as ammoniated caramel, without any form of flavor enhancer, and we are back again to having to master how to make a brown pan sauce that separates on the plate, reminiscent of how a thick sauce changed character over time to be on the verge of being a thin layer of soup, and thus a Danish "sovs" became a sauce.
Seasoning
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Worcestershire sauce (optional)
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Rosemary (optional)
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Bay leaves (traditional)
How many bay leaves
Typically, 2 to 3 bay leaves are used for a standard portion of "Millionbøf" (equivalent to approximately 400-500 g of minced beef).
What you need to know
Quantity: 2 bay leaves give a mild and balanced flavor, while 3 leaves give a slightly stronger spicy flavor.
Remember to remove the bay leaves from the sauce before serving the dish, as they are not considered to be edible.
-When it comes to freshly grounded pepper, let it rain!
Serving
It is not a requirement, but pickled beets are a classic and very popular side dish for a traditional "Millionbøf", especially if served with potatoes or mashed potatoes, but less relevant if "Millionbøf" is served with spaghetti or fusilli pasta.
Alternatively, the pickled beets can be replaced with pickles (optional).
-For Danish "Hakkebøffer" also made of minced beef see the Burger Patties section!
Vikingegryde
Danish Cuisine
A Viking stew is essentially a stew of pork and bacon, often with mushrooms, leeks and a touch of smoked paprika. The result is a rich dish, where the cream and tomato paste bind all the flavors together into a creamy and tasty dish that is both filling and warming on cold evenings.
Skipperlabskovs
Danish Cuisine
"Labskaus" is an old word for stew and describes the nature of the dish. So no, skipperlabskovs is not named after a skipper named Labskovs, but the dish has been practical at sea, as the salty meat could last a long time. The recipe for the classic skipperlabskovs is with beef, potatoes and bay leaves.
Gullash/Gullasch/Goulash/Gulyás
Danish/Hungarian Cuisine
Gulyás is a well-known dish that enjoys immense popularity even outside the Hungarian borders. In many countries, the word is synonymous with a thick stew, while in Hungary, gulyás mostly represents a soup-like dish, which is why this dish is also known as gulyásleves (lit. herdsman soup).
Knorr Hungarian Goulash Mug
Wiener Stew
Danish/Austrian Cuisine
A "Wienergryde" translation depends on the context. The dish is best translated as Vienna stew (if it is made with sausages/Vienna sausages) or a classic pork casserole.
Since the dish is a classic Danish stew, the following terms are most often used in English:
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Vienna-style stew / Wiener stew: Direct translation, if you are looking for recipes for Danish Food in English, for example.
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Pork casserole / Pork stew: The most accurate culinary description if the dish is primarily based on pork, vegetables, and cream.
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Sausage casserole / Wiener sausage: Used if you are referring to the ready-made canned version of sausages (Beauvais Wienergryde)
The term "Wiener stew" most commonly refers to a Depression-era American budget meal or an easy, child-friendly North American camp recipe made with sliced hot dogs (wieners). It is typically prepared with a tomato base, beans, and vegetables, often served over rice.
Depression-era recipes are resourceful, budget-friendly meals created during the 1930s. They rely heavily on cheap, shelf-stable staples like potatoes, beans, and flour. Cooks creatively substituted scarce ingredients - using water instead of milk, baking without eggs, and stretching small portions of meat to feed entire families.
If your query is about the famous Austrian stew, it is known as Wiener Saftgulasch (Viennese beef goulash). This rich, dark stew has its roots in 9th-century Hungary (originally gulyás) but was heavily adapted into a gourmet delicacy by Viennese chefs in the 19th century.
For a classic Viennese stew, winter white cabbage is the traditional choice. But summer white cabbage or pointed white cabbage only takes half as long to cook and has a finer, milder cabbage flavor. Regular white cabbage is coarser, has a sharper flavor, and needs to simmer much longer to become tender.
-I usually only steam vinter white cabbage for exactly 11 minutes to preserve the bite and crunch for a white cabbage stew.
Beauvais does not specifically state whether they use summer or winter white cabbage in their Beauvais Wiener Stew, but since the dish is a classic, long-lasting canned and ready-to-eat dish, winter white cabbage is usually used. Winter white cabbage is firmer and more robust, making it ideal for maintaining its consistency during the necessary thermal treatment.
Serving suggestion: Serve the dish with sour cream and chives on top.