Kalops (Swedish Beef Stew)
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A soul-satisfying stew that is filling and flavorful, this traditional Swedish Kalops recipe is just what the cold weather calls for! This beef stew is slow-simmered with vegetables, white pepper and allspice for a unique and delicious flavor profile. It is Swedish comfort food at its best!
Swedish Beef Stew
This Swedish Kalops recipe was one of the very first recipes I published on my blog back in January 2013. When I first launched my blog I had a “Make a Request” feature where readers could write in to make a request for recipes. It wasn’t long before traffic started to pick up and I was inundated with requests that, as much as I wanted to fulfill, I simply couldn’t keep up with. But this dish was one of those requests early on that I made and I’m so glad I did because it has remained a family and reader favorite. This request came by way of Danny and Theresa Hjelm who wrote in requesting “something Swedish that isn’t meatballs”. And so I created this Kalops recipe, a traditional Swedish stew that is wonderfully flavorful, filling, and soul-satisfying!
What is Kalops?
Kalops is a traditional Swedish beef stew dating back to at least the 18th century. The name “Kalops” is derived from the English word “collops,” which means “small pieces of meat.” This suggests that the dish may have been influenced by English cuisine. This wouldn’t be surprising because Sweden’s cuisine has been influenced by other countries for centuries and the 1800’s were were largely influenced by Great Britain. At the same time, the earliest known recipes for Kalops are from Swedish cookbooks, so it is also likely that the dish originated in Sweden but borrowed its name from English. Whichever the case may be, Kalops has remained a well-known and beloved dish in Sweden for at least 200 years.
Kalops is a beef stew that is slowly cooked with onions and carrots and seasoned with bay leaves, white peppercorns and allspice, the latter of which gives it its distinct and unique flavor. Traditional accompaniments are potatoes and red pickled beets. It is a hearty and flavorful stew, so perfect for the cold winter months.
Swedish Kalops Recipe
Let’s get started!
Cut the beef into 1/2 inch cubes and dry with paper towels. This step is essential or else the meat will not brown. Sprinkle the flour over the beef cubes and turn to coat. Dice the onions and mince the garlic.
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven (I used a skillet and then transferred it to a Dutch oven – I was trying to cook and supervise a toddler using finger paints at the same time, so was a little sidetracked! But yes, use a Dutch oven in the first place)…heat the butter on medium-high and fry the beef on all sides until browned.
Remove the beef and set aside. Add the onions to the Dutch onion along with more butter. Saute until the onions are translucent and just beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
Add the flour and stir for one minute to combine.
Add the wine and bring to a boil for one minute. Add all remaining ingredients and just enough water to cover the meat. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. If the sauce is to thin at that point, remove the lid and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached. (You can also make a flour-water slurry and add that for thickening if you prefer).
Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries before serving.
Serve with potatoes and pickled beets.
Enjoy!
For more delicious beef stews from around the world to try my:
- Hungarian Goulash
- Guinness Stew
- Pörkölt
- Beef Bourguignon
- German Goulash
- Pichelsteiner
- Beef and Cabbage Soup
- Sega Wat
- Hachee
- Old Fashioned Beef Stew
- Domoda
- Szegedin Goulash
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Kalops (Swedish Beef Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb beef chuck , cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium onions , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup red wine (not traditional but I love the depth it adds to the stew)
- 2 large carrots , sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
- 4 bay leaves
- 10 whole allspices berries
- 10 white peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons beef broth base or 2 beef bouillon cubes (e.g., Better Than Bouillon base)
- water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Dry the beef cubes with a paper towel. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the beef cubes and toss to coat.
- Heat the butter on medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Generously brown the beef on all sides then transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same Dutch oven, heat another 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the onions until translucent and just beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the 3 tablespoons of flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil for one minute. Add all remaining ingredients, adding just enough water to cover the meat. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. If the sauce is too thin at that point, remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached. Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries before serving.
- Serve with potatoes and pickled beets.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 18, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Collops simply means a slice of meat, fish or indeed vegetable. It has more or less fallen out of use in modern day English. In Yorkshire, a northern county, collops used to be served as a poor man’s alternative to fish and chips. The chips were as usual but the collop part was simply a slice of par-boiled potato, which was then battered and deep fried. On the plate, it did look like a portion of fish and chips.
Sounds like a great recipe for a stew – but can this be made in the crock-pot? Just curious. My crock-pot browns and would work out great. Could simmer on low 4 – 6 hours. Yum.
It sure can, Kathi! And yes, I’d aim for 4-6 hours on low. Happy cooking! :)
This is in fact Kalops // a Swede
I did this for a family dinner and while I’m waiting for it to be done, it definitely tastes like kalops (I’m under 18 so I wasn’t sure if I could take the wine from my parents so didn’t include it)
Thank you so much for the feedback, Elijah, I appreciate it! Happy eating! :)
wow! I was amazed at the flavour in this easy to make recipe. So few ingredients and “10 whole allspices berries and
10 white peppercorns”. I would never believe it. The result was a juicy, tasty, moreish Dinner.
I’m in the UK and instead of “2 tablespoons beef broth base or 2 beef bouillon cubes” I used 1 x 28g of a “Knorr Beef Stock Pot”. These are widely available.
A truly amazing recipe and the sauce (yummy) not too watery and not too thick.
Perfect :-)
That’s wonderful, Rob, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback, thank you very much! <3
Funny that people say “this is not kalops”. My mother is Swedish and used to make this alot. I have learned her recipe and this is definitely kalops, with some extra flavour!!! I love the addition of garlic and especially the wine. Thanks for posting this. Love it!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jessica! :)
My mother used to make a similar recipe with brisket, that due allspice, I always assumed she got from her Swedish grandmother. I look forward to making this and hope to recapture that flavor I grew up with. It was always a family favorite.
Wonderful, Cecilia, please let us know what you think!
This is definitly not kalops. But a great recipe in itself. Red wine and garlic is almost unheard of in authentic Swedish or Scandinavian recipies. We tend to be drawn to Clean and quite frankly a Little bland tastes. The ingridients should be as IDL stated. BUT for that amount of beef n Liquids there should be only 2 bayleaves or it will overpoweer the other Spices( to the Swedish palete).
According to wikipedia we did grow garlic in the vikingages but it became unpopular. The Swedish Senapskål (mustardcale) has a similar history. It was forgotten for a long time until the 21-century when Swedish people discovered Italian food. It is now sold as ruccola :)
True! Totally agree. My dad is from Sweden and he made it in the traditional way. Later in life, he started adding garlic and claimed that this was very rebellious and laughed about it. He died some years ago and I miss him so much.