STIFADO - Greek Beef & Onion Stew

I love nothing more than sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee in the morning, flicking through my favourite cookbooks to get some inspiration for what is going on the table for dinner that night. Earlier this week I’d picked up some beautiful organic chuck steak. It was waiting for inspiration to strike, and it did when I came across a recipe for Stifado, a Greek beef and onion stew.

This is such a nice change from what I normally do when I slow cook meat - which is throw everything in with carrot, celery, onion & garlic and a can of tomatoes (which is great but can get boring). The spices, red wine, vinegar, and currants give it layers of flavour that hit differently…rich, slightly sweet, tangy, and aromatic. The onions break down into the sauce, the beef goes fall-apart tender, and a good crumble of feta on top finishes it perfectly.

Ingredients

Serves 2 hungry adults & 1 little person

1. A big glug of extra virgin olive oil

2. 1kg organic, grass-fed chuck steak, cut into cubes

3. 3/4 tsp cumin

4. 1 onion, diced

5. 2–3 garlic cloves, sliced

6. 1 cup dry red wine

7. 1 heaped tbsp concentrated tomato paste

8. 2 big tbsp red wine vinegar

9. 1 cinnamon stick

10. 5 cloves

11. 1 tsp sugar

12. 2–3 baby onions (or regular onions, halved)

13. A small handful of currants

14. Crumbly goat’s feta (to serve)

15. Steamed rice (to serve)

16. Fresh dill (optional, but highly recommended)

Method

1. Add EVOO to crockpot and on a high heat sear off meat for 3-5 minutes until brown on each side

2. Remove meat and set to the side and sprinkle with cumin

3. Lower heat and add onions and garlic, slowly sautéing until translucent and fragrant (approx 8 mins)

4. Add in red wine and let alcohol bubble off for a few minutes, then add in tomato paste, red wine vinegar, 1 cup of water, spices, sugar

5. Cover with a doubled over piece of alfoil or baking paper and let simmer on low for 1 hour

6. After 1 hour, check to make sure there is still enough liquid, add a bit more water or stock if you need. Add in the onions and let simmer for another 1 hour

7. Check again to make sure enough liquid, add currants and let simmer for 30 mins to 1 hour longer. You might not need this long, depends on how your tender your meat is looking.

8. When ready to serve, crumble some goats feta over the top, add some dill if you fancy & rice on the side

9. DELISH

This is slow cooking with character. Deeply spiced, slightly sweet, tangy, savoury, and rich. Comfort food, but with a Greek twist that makes you forget all about the usual carrot-and-celery routine.