stifado (greek beef stew)

(2 RATINGS)
56 Pinches
Kihei, HI
Updated on Feb 10, 2012

When i was first married (1960) we had a Greek friend, John Chipouras, who taught me how to make Stifado. We enjoyed many meals together, then he married my best friend, and they are still together! He still remembers that I used to make him Stifado! Now I see that my niece, Laurie Constantino, has it in her cookbook "Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska." I'll combine both recipes. This takes some time to prepare, and has to cook for about 3 hours. But it's worth it, and the leftovers are to die for.

prep time 45 Min
cook time 3 Hr
method Stove Top
yield 6 serving(s)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds stew meat or sirloin steak, cut into 1" chunks
  • - salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 cups onions, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 can tomatoes, chopped or diced
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 - cinnamon stick *important!
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 4 - bay leaves
  • 1 package frozen (or fresh) pearl onions
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3/4 cup parsley, minced
  • - ground cinnamon, if needed

How To Make stifado (greek beef stew)

  • Step 1
    Chop onions and garlic. Season meat chunks with salt and pepper.
  • Step 2
    Heat olive oil in a large pot, and brown the meat well on all sides. When brown, remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan. Add onions and garlic to pan, add salt and pepper, and saute till soft.
  • Step 3
    Return meat to pan, stir in red wine, vinegar, tomatoes, beef stock, and spices, and bring to a boil. Cover pan, lower heat, and simmer for about 2 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another hour.
  • Step 4
    While beef is cooking, saute the pearl onions in butter and olive oil until they are well browned on all sides. Five minutes before serving, stir the onions and parsley into the stew. Taste, and add a little cinnamon if needed. When done, remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
  • Step 5
    Serve with a nice crusty french bread.

Discover More

Category: Beef
Keyword: #cinnamon
Keyword: #onions
Keyword: #redwine
Ingredient: Beef
Culture: Greek
Method: Stove Top

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