Beef Stifado

A traditional Greek beef stew with Pearl onions, and multiple spices.

Yield:
4 persons
Category:
Beef
Cuisine:
Greek
Prep Time:
20 min
Cooking Time:
3 hrs 0 min
Total Time:
3 hrs 20 min

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 kg lean stewing beef cut in chunks
  • 1 kg pearl onions or a mix of pearl onions and shallots
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 14 berries of allspice
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 3-4 dried or fresh bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 400g can of tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • kosher salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cooking pot and heat over high heat. Brown the beef chunks on all sides. Do this by adding the meat in the pot in batches. So the temperature of the oil won't drop, and the meat still sear properly. After you're done with the first batch, remove the meat from the pot and then add the next batch. Once all the meat is seared and browned all over, add it all back in the pot.
  2. Pour in the red wine, and the cognac. Then add 2-3 cups of water to the pot. The amount of the liquids should be just enough to cover the meat.
  3. Add the garlic, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with its lid. Slow cook for approximately 2 hours.
  4. Meanwhile, parboil the pearl onions for 1-2 minutes. Then cut the tops off and squeeze the bottoms to remove the skins,. Next, cut off the tops and bottoms of the shallots and remove their skins.

Print