Greek beef Stifado, (Greek beef stew)!! It's a juicy and tender, melt-in-the-mouth stew full of Mediterranean flavours with a delicious, slightly sweet, intense tomato-based sauce which is perfect for colder nights. This can be cooked on the stove as a one pot meal but I decided to do it in the SC to allow the flavours to develop in their own time.
This is easy to adapt to suit you and your families tastes and adding more vegetables etc. I've made it child friendly by swapping out the red wine for a stock pot but you can reverse that if you prefer. Why not give this a try and let us know how you get on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback. E x
Prep:-Take the Beef out of the fridge 30mns beforehand.
Cut the Beef into smallish cubes.
Dice 1/2 the Shallots
Dice the Garlic.
Turn the Slow Cooker on to high.
Sieve the flour onto a plate and season with S&P, mix well then add the cubed beef and cover with flour until fully coated.
Heat the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the beef and fry till browned (2-3mns)...you may need to do this in batches to ensure you don't overcook it.. Remove from the pan and place in the Slow Cooker
Add the diced shallots to the frying pan and cook gently until caramelised.
Now add the remaining whole shallots along with the garlic and cook for a further minute or two.
Add everything into the Slow Cooker including the vinegar, the spices, sugar, tomatoes and paste, and season well with S&P.
Add the Red wine stock pot plus 200ml water.
Stir Well.
There's no need for more liquid as the SC will convert the steam it produces into liquid.
Place the lid on and cook on Low for 7-8hrs or High for 4-5 hrs
Once cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Too tart- add a little sugar. Too sweet- add salt. Remove the cinnamon, bay leaves etc
.Add a little stock if needed to thin down the sauce,
and sprinkle over a little Parsley
Serve hot over pasta (orzo) with crusty bread to dip in the rich tomatoey gravy.
Easy Swaps:-
Beef for Pork
Olive oil for veg oil
Red Wine stock pot for a glass of red wine.
Tinned tomatoes for fresh.
Shallots for onion.
Garlic cloves for lazy Garlic
Fennel seeds or 2 star anise
Cinnamon for nutmeg.
The spices- clove,cinnamon, fennel seeds etc for Allspice
Tip:- This can be cooked on the stove, follow the steps but add to a pot instead of the SC along with another 400ml of water and simmer for a minimum of 1½ hours but preferably 2.5-3 hrs.
Ingredients
Directions
Prep:-Take the Beef out of the fridge 30mns beforehand.
Cut the Beef into smallish cubes.
Dice 1/2 the Shallots
Dice the Garlic.
Turn the Slow Cooker on to high.
Sieve the flour onto a plate and season with S&P, mix well then add the cubed beef and cover with flour until fully coated.
Heat the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Add the beef and fry till browned (2-3mns)...you may need to do this in batches to ensure you don't overcook it.. Remove from the pan and place in the Slow Cooker
Add the diced shallots to the frying pan and cook gently until caramelised.
Now add the remaining whole shallots along with the garlic and cook for a further minute or two.
Add everything into the Slow Cooker including the vinegar, the spices, sugar, tomatoes and paste, and season well with S&P.
Add the Red wine stock pot plus 200ml water.
Stir Well.
There's no need for more liquid as the SC will convert the steam it produces into liquid.
Place the lid on and cook on Low for 7-8hrs or High for 4-5 hrs
Once cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Too tart- add a little sugar. Too sweet- add salt. Remove the cinnamon, bay leaves etc
.Add a little stock if needed to thin down the sauce,
and sprinkle over a little Parsley
Serve hot over pasta (orzo) with crusty bread to dip in the rich tomatoey gravy.
Easy Swaps:-
Beef for Pork
Olive oil for veg oil
Red Wine stock pot for a glass of red wine.
Tinned tomatoes for fresh.
Shallots for onion.
Garlic cloves for lazy Garlic
Fennel seeds or 2 star anise
Cinnamon for nutmeg.
The spices- clove,cinnamon, fennel seeds etc for Allspice
Tip:- This can be cooked on the stove, follow the steps but add to a pot instead of the SC along with another 400ml of water and simmer for a minimum of 1½ hours but preferably 2.5-3 hrs.