Beef Stew with Sweet Pickles

Ingredients:

2 ¼ pounds beef round (cut into serving pieces)

1/3 cup soy sauce

½ lemon, squeezed

2 tablespoons cooking oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

3 pieces bay leaves

1 small can tomato sauce, 8 ounces

8 ounces sweet pickles, with its syrup

4 to 5 tablespoons tomato ketchup

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Marinate the beef in soy sauce and lemon for at least 30 minutes. Heat saucepan. Add oil. Sauté garlic and onion for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bay leaves. Stir. Add the beef with marinade. Stir thoroughly until the beef secretes its own liquid. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Uncover and add the tomato sauce. Stir very well. Let it boil. Lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes to one hour. Stir occasionally, check the beef’s tenderness and make sure the sauce does not dry up. Add a little amount of water if needed. When the beef is tender, add the sweet pickles with its syrup. Stir. Cover and simmer for 2 to 4 minutes. Uncover, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir again. Flavor with tomato catchup. Stir one more time. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.