The Stove
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s Greek-style beef stew (plus a trick for peeling fiddly onions)
This comforting Greek stew is a firm favourite of mine: falling-apart meat and whole, tender shallots or baby onions gently spiced with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. A good splash of red wine vinegar gives this stew the classic brightness expected in a Greek stifado. I often serve this simply with crusty bread…
Ingredients · Servings 6
- 1.2 kg beef chuck, cut into 5-6cm pieces
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg French shallots (eschalots) or baby onions, trimmed, peeled and left whole*
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 6 allspice berries (pimento)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 150ml red wine
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 500ml chicken or beef stock
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method · 2 h 30 min
- Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- In a large, heavy-based dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a high heat and brown the beef in batches. Remove the beef from the pot and lower the heat to medium.
- Add the remaining olive oil and brown the shallots or onions. Add the garlic and cook for a minute further or until fragrant, then add all the spices and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute, stirring well to coat. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the red wine and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes or until beginning to reduce. Add the red wine vinegar and sugar and cook again for 1-2 minutes.
- Return the beef to the pot, nestling the pieces among the shallots or onions. Pour over the stock, adding a little extra water to ensure the beef is mostly covered (usually about 150ml, but this will depend on the size of your pot). Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, then partially cover. Cook undisturbed for 2.5 hours or until the beef is very tender and the sauce has reduced. (Minimal stirring keeps the shallots intact.)
- Stir through the parsley, check for seasoning and serve with crusty bread, mashed potatoes or orzo.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg beef chuck, cut into 5-6cm pieces
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg French shallots (eschalots) or baby onions, trimmed, peeled and left whole*
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 6 allspice berries (pimento)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 150ml red wine
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 500ml chicken or beef stock
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method
- Step 1Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- Step 2In a large, heavy-based dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a high heat and brown the beef in batches. Remove the beef from the pot and lower the heat to medium.
- Step 3Add the remaining olive oil and brown the shallots or onions. Add the garlic and cook for a minute further or until fragrant, then add all the spices and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute, stirring well to coat. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Step 4Pour in the red wine and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes or until beginning to reduce. Add the red wine vinegar and sugar and cook again for 1-2 minutes.
- Step 5Return the beef to the pot, nestling the pieces among the shallots or onions. Pour over the stock, adding a little extra water to ensure the beef is mostly covered (usually about 150ml, but this will depend on the size of your pot). Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 6Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, then partially cover. Cook undisturbed for 2.5 hours or until the beef is very tender and the sauce has reduced. (Minimal stirring keeps the shallots intact.)
- Step 7Stir through the parsley, check for seasoning and serve with crusty bread, mashed potatoes or orzo.
- Hot tip: a simple way to peel the shallots or baby onions is to trim them, place them in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water for 5 minutes. The skins will then peel away easily.