Stifado is a traditional Greek stew known for its rich, hearty flavors, made with tender chunks of beef (or rabbit) slowly simmered with pearl onions, tomatoes, red wine, and aromatic spices. The slow cooking process allows the ingredients to meld beautifully, creating a deeply flavorful and slightly sweet dish. Stifado is fantastic when served with crusty bread, rice, or pasta, making it a comforting and soul-warming meal.
Stifado
Ingredients
- 35 ounces good-quality stewing beef, cut into portions
- 60 ounces pearl onions, peeled
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup cognac
- 2 ripe tomatoes (without skins), roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 allspice berries
- a pinch nutmeg
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- a bit of water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan, add the meat in batches, sauté until browned on all sides. Do not add all the meat in the saucepan; rather, sauté in batches, so that the temperature of the oil remains high and the meat is sealed. When done, remove with a slotted spoon, place on a platter, cover, and set aside.
- Peel and carve the baby shallot onions crosswise, add in the same oil used to browned the meat, turn down to medium heat and sauté until the onions have softened, but not browned (about 10 minutes).
- Pour in the cognac, the wine and red wine vinegar, cover and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Pour the meat along with its juices to the saucepan, add the tomato paste and sauté. Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, allspice berries, nutmeg and a bit of water until the meat is covered. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer the beef stifado with a lid on for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened. While the beef stifado is simmering, check if it needs some water; you don’t want it to dry out. If it does, pour in half a cup of boiled water and stir. Towards the end of cooking time season well with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve stifado with pasta and grated cheese, or boiled new potatoes.
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