Stifado

Stifado (Greek Beef and Onion Stew)

A classic Greek winter stew of beef slowly braised with whole pearl onions, tomato, red wine vinegar and warm spices until the sauce turns dark, glossy and gently sweet-sour.

Prep

25 min

Cook

150 min

Total

175 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) bestchuck or shoulder of beef, cut into 5 cm / 2 inch cubes
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, plus more to taste
• •2 g (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil, Greek extra virgin if possible
• •800 g (1¾ lb) pearl onions, frozen, pre-peeled are the standard home-kitchen substitute for fresh Greek askolomprou
• •4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• •200 ml (¾ cup) red wine, dry, Greek if possible
• •60 ml (¼ cup) red wine vinegar
• •400 g (14 oz) canned chopped tomatoes, or 3 fresh tomatoes, grated
• •15 g (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• •1 whole cinnamon stick, or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• •3 whole whole cloves, do not increase
• •2 whole bay leaves, Greek bay if available
• •1 whole cinnamon stick
• •10 g (1 tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped, to finish

Steps

1. 1 Pat the beef dry, season with salt and pepper. Heat half the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. 2 Add the remaining oil to the pot and lower the heat to medium. Add the pearl onions and cook, stirring, for 8–10 minutes until lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. 3 Pour in the red wine and vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any browned bits. Simmer for 3 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol.
4. 4 Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, whole cloves and bay leaves. Return the beef and any juices to the pot along with about 250 ml / 1 cup of water, just enough to almost cover the meat.
5. 5 Bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest possible heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if the sauce reduces too quickly.
6. 6 Uncover and simmer for a further 30 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is thick, dark and glossy and the onions are soft but still holding their shape.
7. 7 Fish out the cinnamon stick, cloves and bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt. The classic flavour should be gently sweet-sour, with the cinnamon and clove as a back note, not a front note.
8. 8 Doneness cue: the beef should offer no resistance when pierced with a fork and pull apart easily; the sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Internal temperature of the beef will read 95–98 °C / 203–208 °F when fully tender.
9. 9 Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot with crusty bread or, in the traditional way, with Greek lemon potatoes or rice.