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5 from 1 vote

Stifatho - Greek Beef Stew

Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 497kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 lbs beef chuck cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 8 oz crushed tomato
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs pearl onions fresh or frozen
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

  • It's my strong recommendation that you use frozen pearl onions to make this dish. However if you decide to use fresh pearl onions and you don't want to spend a lot of time peeling them, there is a shortcut. The easiest and fastest way to peel pearl onions it to par boil them, put them in an ice bath and then the outer skin will peel off easily. Here are the steps to do that:
  • Find the end of the onion where the root is. Cut off the end of the onion where the root is. Don't cut off too much. Just enough to remove the end of the root.
  • Add the pearl onions to boiling water for 60-90 seconds. Remove the peal onions with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and drop them into an ice bath so that they stop cooking. Once they are cooled off (2-3 mins), remove the pearl onions from the ice bath, drain well and peel off the outer layer of the onion by simply pulling on it. It should come off easily.
  • Prepare and measure all other ingredients.
  • Heat butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped yellow onion and meat. Sauté until the meat is brown on all sides.
  • Sauté until the meat is brown on all sides. Add 1/4 cup of the red wine and simmer for 5 minutes. While meat is simmering, add 1 cup of hot water to the 10 ounces of crushed tomatoes and stir together well. Add the tomato mixture to the meat, onion, wine mixture and stir to incorporate. Cover and continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes.
  • Add the caramelized pearl onions, chopped garlic, chopped fresh parsley, brown sugar, ground cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick to the meat mixture. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of red wine and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Cover and simmer slowly for 2 hours, stirring occasionally so that the meat does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Once the Stifatho is done, remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick before serving. Serve with our Cretan Pilafi.

Nutrition

Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 622mg | Potassium: 869mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition Facts
Stifatho - Greek Beef Stew
Amount Per Serving
Calories 497 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 12g75%
Cholesterol 120mg40%
Sodium 622mg27%
Potassium 869mg25%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 385IU8%
Vitamin C 15mg18%
Calcium 84mg8%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.