Esik-Fleish - Sweet-and-Sour Meat with Gingerbread

This time, I suggest trying Esik-Fleish—sweet-and-sour meat—made according to our family recipe. In our family, we added gingerbread to it, too (just as we did to the carp, remember?)! The meat portions are very generous. The dish is filling, full of different flavors, and appetizing... It is a good idea to serve an additional side of fresh vegetables without any tartness.

1. Dice the onions finely and fry in vegetable oil until golden.

2. Cut the meat into small pieces and fry in vegetable oil in a deep skillet or sauté pan until browned.

3. Add the onions to the meat. Season with salt.

4. Pour in enough water to cover the meat by 1-2 cm, cover the sauté pan with a lid, and simmer over low heat until the meat is almost fully cooked. The onions should dissolve completely in the process.

5. While the meat is simmering, crumble the gingerbread and stale bread. Rinse the prunes in warm water and remove the pits.

6. Add the crumbled gingerbread and bread, tomato purée, whole cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, pepper, sugar, and lemon juice (1-2 tbsp) to the meat. Simmer briefly.

7. Add the prunes last. Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the sauce from burning.

If necessary, add water (don't hesitate to add it during the earlier stages, either), lemon juice, salt, or sugar. The sauce should have the consistency of thick sour cream and a sweet-and-sour flavor.

To serve: Pile the meat and prunes onto a plate and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with lemon and fresh parsley.

Enjoy your meal, and happy holidays!