Every country seems to have it's own version of a slow-cooked beef dish. From our British beef stew to wine rich, French bourguignon and Italian ragu.
In Greece, their version is the deliciously aromatic beef stifado, which is spiced with cloves, bay, cinnamon and allspice.
The key to a good Stifado is marinating the meat first, for at least 3 hours. This not only enhances the flavour of the beef, it also makes it beautifully tender.
Also known as Stifatho, it is often served with orzo, the delicate pasta that resembles rice. However, it's also lovely served with pappadelle, potatoes or crusty bread.
Serves 4
For the marinade
800g diced braising steak
2 large garlic cloves
1 large cinnamon stick (or 2 small)
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
2 teaspoons of allspice berries
150ml red wine
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Heaped tablespoon of dried oregano
For the Stifado
500g baby onions
4 tablespoons of olive oil
400g tin chopped tomatoes
500ml beef stock
2 heaped tablespoons of tomato puree
Seasoning
To marinate the beef (for 3-6 hours)
- Place the diced beef in a large, non-metallic container.
- Peel and thinly slice the garlic.
- Add all of the ingredients to the beef and leave in the fridge for 3-6 hours.
To make the Stifado
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Top and tail the baby onions.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.
- Drain the onions and carefully remove the skins.
- Remove the beef from the marinade (but retain the marinade).
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a casserole dish and seal the beef in batches to avoid the meat sweating in it's own juices. (Be careful not to include any of the sliced garlic from the marinade as this may burn).
- Return all of the meat to the casserole dish, along with the marinade.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients.
- Stir well and place in the hot oven.
- Cook for 3 hours until the meat falls apart.
- Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before serving, so that the flavours aren't overpowered by the temperature of the dish.
