Beef Stifado
"It is a robust flavored stew, containing slow-cooked beef that just melts in your mouth.A simple recipe where we marinate the beef overnight and then slowly cook it the next day. Serve with orzo and a village salad. Here is a simple, classic Greek/Cypriot stew. Beef, marinated overnight with easily sourced ingredients, and then slow cooked with salad onions and tomatoes. Beef may be replaced with rabbit or lamb. Or cut out the meat and use portobello mushrooms."
Serves6 People
Preparation Time10 min
Cooking Time2 hr 30 min
Ingredients
- 2 (2-pound) stewing beef cut into large pieces, sub with mushrooms or rabbit
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 onions, salad (red), quartered
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 43 1/2 tomatoes, canned, chopped 3 X 14.5 oz (400 gram) cans
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries or pimentos
- 1 teaspoon cloves, ground
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt, ground sea
- 5 clove garlic
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Make the marinade first. In a mortar, add juniper berries, ground cloves, fennel seeds and salt. Pound. Then add the garlic and pound again until well combined. Remove paste to a bowl, large enough to hold all of the meat. Add remaining marinade ingredients and stir well to combine. Finally, add the beef and stir well to ensure all of the beef is well coated with marinade. Refrigerate overnight.
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In a large, heavy-based saucepan or flame-proof casserole dish, over a medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the quartered salad onions and cook until golden all over and starting to caramelize. Then add the meat and marinade, tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Add enough cool water to barely cover the stifado. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer for 2 hours. Check for seasoning about half way through.
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Serve over orzo (traditional) or rice or mashed potatoes. Accompany with a village salad.