Stifado (Greek Beef and Pearl Onion Stew)
Local name: Στιφάδο
In short: Beef braised slowly with whole small onions, red wine, tomato and warm spices until the sauce turns thick and glossy. It takes about 3 h 10 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 2 h 30 min
- Total
- 3 h 10 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 580 kcal
Stifado is a Greek stew of beef and plenty of small whole onions, cooked slowly in red wine, vinegar and tomato with cinnamon and cloves. The onions turn sweet and almost melt into the sauce. It is a cool-weather dish, served with potatoes, pasta or bread, and it is better the next day. Rabbit is a traditional alternative to beef.
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and season with salt. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the beef in 2 batches, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute.
- Pour in the wine and vinegar, scraping up the browned bits. Boil for 3 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Return the beef to the pot. Add the tomatoes, hot water, cinnamon, bay, cloves, allspice, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
- Scatter the onions over the beef and push them partly into the liquid. Cover and cook for another 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the onions are soft but whole. Do not stir hard.
- Remove the lid and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Remove the cinnamon, bay and cloves.
- Rest for 15 minutes before serving with bread, potatoes or pasta.
Tips
- Cook it low and slow and avoid stirring hard once the onions are in, so they stay whole. To peel pearl onions easily, blanch them in boiling water for 1 minute.
- Frozen peeled pearl onions save time. Rabbit stifado is also traditional and needs about the same cooking time.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between stifado and beef stew?
Stifado has a large amount of whole small onions, plus red wine, vinegar and warm spices such as cinnamon and cloves. The sauce is sweet-sour and aromatic.
Can I make stifado ahead?
Yes, it improves overnight. Keep it 4 days in the fridge or freeze it for 3 months.
Can I make stifado in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the beef first, then cook everything on low for 8 hours, adding the onions for the last 3 hours. Reduce the sauce in an open pot at the end.
How long does it take to make Stifado (Greek Beef and Pearl Onion Stew)?
About 3 h 10 min in total: 40 min of preparation and 2 h 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Stifado (Greek Beef and Pearl Onion Stew)?
About 580 kcal per serving, with 40 g of protein, 25 g of carbohydrates and 31 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 580 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 40 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Sodium | 750 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
