Ingredients
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4 large pieces beef osso buccosubstitute with 6 small, you can also use veal
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20 whole small onionspeeled (I use pickling onions)
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7-8 garlic cloves
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3 small sprigs rosemary
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4 small Bay Leavessubstitute with 2 large
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6 whole pimento
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5 whole cloves
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2 whole nutmeghalved (substitute with ½ tsp ground nutmeg)
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â…“ cup white vinegar
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1 tbsp Salt
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410 gr tomato passata
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4 tbsp tomato paste
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½ cup Olive Oil
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¼ tsp black pepper
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steamed riceto serve
Directions
Stifado is a traditional Greek beef stew cooked with tomatoes, onions, cinnamon, vinegar or red wine, and a variety of spices and herbs. Stifado roughly translates as a stew with lots of onions! If you want to go really, native you can replace the beef with rabbit or even octopus, but beef has always been a very popular version
How to Make Stifado:
- Mix the tomato paste with the vinegar and set aside.
- Start layering the ingredients in a cast iron pot. First, place the meat on the base, then the onions, followed by the garlic, spices, and salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato passata, vinegar with tomato paste and oil.
- Top with the bay leaves and fresh rosemary sprigs.
- Cover the pot with a lid and put on a medium heat for a few minutes to warm up, then turn the heat down to a low simmer for 1½ hours. Do not open the lid or stir at all. Just give the pot a gentle shake every 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your rice. I cook mine using the absorption method, which is 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. To make, put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-size pot on a medium heat.
- Once the oil starts to heat up, add the rice. When the rice tips start to become translucent, add the water.
- Turn the heat to low and put the lid on.
- After 10 minutes, check the rice to see if the water is fully absorbed. Once cooked, turn the heat off and put the lid back on to keep warm.
- After 1½ hours check the meat. If it is not falling apart, put the lid back on and cook for a further 30 mins. Once the meat looks ready, turn the heat off and serve your stifado with rice.
