A traditional Greek stew, Stifado is cooked low and slow until the meat is meltingly tender.
I did not intend to post a recipe for Greek Beef Stifadostewtoday. No, that was quite possibly the furthest from my mind. What I wantedto do is bake a cake, make cookies and decorate our enormous tree. But the best laid plans usually go awry on Sundays – and this one was no exception.
Doesn’t help that my head is actually in full holiday mode – as in ‘let’s cuddle on the sofa and watch a film in front of the fire’… and I conveniently forget it’s not technically the holidays yet.
But anyway, back to the stifadowhich I made a few weeks ago when my brain was still functioning.
This is quite possibly one the most intense tasting and aromatic stews out there (on par with the blog’s most popular recipe), full of festive spices like cloves, cinnamon and allspice.
In Greece it is frequently made with rabbit which why I think I refused to try it as a child. This version uses braising steak instead, marinated overnight in red wine and spices, then cooked for almost 2 hours until the meat is simply melting and the sauce has thickened.
Serve it with mash or roast potatoes with some crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce. In Greece it is sometimes served with orzo or other types of pasta but I think the potatoes are a better match.
I followed the recipe in Ultimate One-Pot Dishes
quite closely and it tastes fairly traditional. Although I usually can’t be asked to marinate anything, I think it is an important step here.
Luckily all it involves is mixing the meat with a very simple marinade overnight. Although I have not tried this recipe in a slow cooker yet I have a feeling it is a perfect candidate for the crockpot treatment.
HAVE YOU MADE MY ONE-POT GREEK BEEF STIFADO STEW?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
MORE COMFORTING STEWS HERE
- Pressure cooker Guinness beef stew
- One-pot Spanish chicken, chorizo and lentil stew
- Slow cooker Brazilian feijoada stew
- Chicken, chorizo, olive and chickpea stew
One-Pot Beef Stifado Stew
Print RateIngredients
For the marinade
- 1/2 bottle dry red wine
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 5 cloves
- 5 allspice berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 strip orange peel
- 1 cinnamon stick broken in two
For the stew
- 900 g | 2 pounds chuck steak cubed
- 15 small shallots
- 2 celery sticks finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 400 g | 14oz tinned chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- olive oil to fry as needed
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Put the cubed meat in a large lidded container, add all the ingredients for the marinade and mix together. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
- The following day, preheat the oven to 160C (325F).
- Put the shallots in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for a couple of minutes and then drain. Peel the skins off and set aside.
- Drain the meat and keep the marinade. Pat dry with some kitchen paper.
- Heat a glug of olive oil in a large casserole and brown the meat for 3-4 minutes. You may need to do this in batches. Set aside.
- Add the shallots, celery and carrots to the casserole and a splash more oil if needed and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Pour the marinade in the casserole together with the chopped tomatoes and paste, sugar and meat. Stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours until the sauce has thickened and meat is tender. Check the seasoning and add the chopped parsley.
- Serve with roast potatoes or mash and some crusty bread.
Aileen says
I would live to make this! I’m a bit confused on the amount of tomatoes toad. Is it 1 14 oz can?
Many thanks!
Lucy Parissi says
Hi yes it is one 14oz can of tomatoes.
Rizan says
I made this recipe this evening, so aromatic and delicious. I added a couple of things, star anise and parsnips. I did not add the allspice berries as I did not have any, was going to add powder allspice to cooking dish but forgot to do so. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Lucy Parissi says
So glad you liked it! Start anise would work great in this stew.
Lucy Parissi says
Hiya – it should thicken and turn into a lovely sauce as the dish cooks slowly – no straining required though you need to remove the cinnamon sticks, orange peel etc just before serving. Hope this helps!
Nakos says
Do you strain the marinade or pour it right in ?
Kate Glutenfreealchemist says
You may not have meant to post this recipe now, but I am so glad you have! I have been trying to find a really good recipe for beef stifado for ages…… so thank you!
Alida @mylittleitaliankitchen says
Looks so hearthy, warming and delicious. We used to have rabbit often as a child, it is still so very popular in Italy.
It is so interesting your addition of cinnamon, I have never tried this before. Nice nice recipe!
Choclette Blogger says
Ooh now, my mother used to make the most fabulous rabbit stew when I was a child. Despite having pet rabbits, it strangely didn't phase me.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I love hearty one-pot meals like this. I bet this would go so well with mashed potatoes – all that gravy! 🙂
Emmyw says
Oh wow you really do pain a pretty picture. I'd love to lose myself in a big bowl of this all snuggled up with the rain beating on the windows. Heavenly!
Helen at Casa Costello says
Oh wow, this really does look intense! I think I'd opt for the potatoes too. I'm absolutely nowhere near relaxing on the sofa stage – I've only just really started Christmas preparations after a few manic weeks. Hope you get to chill out soon x
Lynn | The Road to Honey says
I completely get where you are coming from Lucy as I too want to relax on my sofa with my faux fur blanket wrapped around me, snuggled up against the Mr and a cup of tea in hand. It seems that every time I try to escape to the kitchen to bake sweet treats. . .yet another distraction rears its head. But we still must eat… so while I might not have the luxury to lounge around with my blanket. . .i can always snuggle up with this stew during dinnertime. It looks absolutely heavenly…like a nice big warm hug for the tummy.
P.S. I'm glad you switched to beef because I can never bring myself to eat rabbit
Julia@Vikalinka says
What an gorgeous recipe for this cold weather we've been having and it's Greek too for which I am incredibly excited. My mum used to make a rabbit stew and my brother and I always used to refuse to it! Now a rabbit stew sounds so exotic and I would gladly eat but it's so expensive, so a beef version seems more affordable and more popular with the little people!