Stifado - Greek meat stew

Stifado

 

Preparation time 30-45 minutes

Cooking time approx. 2 hours

Ingredients:

500 g small shallots

1 kg beef roast

5 cloves of garlic

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

800 g crushed tomatoes

1 dl red wine

0.5 dl beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

3 bay leaves

5 whole allspice berries

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

2 sprigs of rosemary

OILI olive oil

Salt

Pepper

A pinch of dried oregano

Instructions:

1. Peel the shallots and trim only a little from the root end so they stay whole. Heat a pot over medium heat, add a generous splash of OILI olive oil, and lightly brown the onions for a few minutes until they start to soften. Set the onions aside for later.

2. Cut the meat into approximately 3 x 3 cm cubes. Turn the stove to full heat, add a splash of OILI olive oil to the pot, and brown the meat in at least a few batches, seasoning with salt and pepper. If you add too much meat at once, the pot will cool too much, and the meat will release its juices. Set the meat aside.

3. Add another splash of OILI olive oil to the pot, along with sliced or grated garlic, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Sauté for about 30 seconds, then add the wine, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, rosemary sprigs, and oregano to the pot.

4. Turn the stove to low heat and add the browned meat to the pot. Simmer the meat for about 1.5 hours, but do not boil, otherwise the meat will not stay juicy.

5. After 1.5 hours, when the meat starts to become tender, add the browned shallots to the pot and continue simmering for about half an hour. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

6. Serve the finished stifado with rice, potatoes, or orzo, for example.

Tip: You can toast the orzo in a pan with OILI olive oil, then cook it risotto-style by gradually adding, for example, chicken broth until the orzo is cooked.