Submitted by Relly. 

This Greek stew has few ingredients, and is yet so rich in flavors.  Since back in the days beef was an expensive product, my grandmother would make this dish for the high holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Passover night.  My family and I continue this tradition and have this dish for holiday dinners.

My grandmother would go to the market and dig for the smallest onions she could find. Today, I just use pearl onions or shallots. Using shallots produces a sweeter and deeper flavor, so take that into account when deciding what kind of onions to use. The hardest part of this recipe is peeling all of these small onions. To make your job easier, just place them in hot water for a couple of minutes.

The Greeks serve this dish with a salad and bread, which they dip in the rich sauce.  We serve it with plain white rice, although mashed potatoes also go well with it. Anything that soaks up all that delicious sauce is a great alternative, so go crazy! 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed (or any other part that’s suitable for slow cooking)
• 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 lbs. very small whole onions, pearl onions or shallots, peeled
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt & pepper

Preparation

Heat some olive or canola oil in a deep, large pot, on high heat.  Add the chopped onions and cook until golden.  Add the meat, working in batches if necessary.  The point at this stage is to just seal and brown the meat from outside, so you don’t want to cool the pot by adding all the meat together.  The meat will then not seal properly and will not be as juicier. 

Add the garlic cloves and the peeled onions and continue cooking until the onions are slightly browned.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the wine, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and salt and pepper.

The stew needs to cook for at least 2-3 hours. Check on it every half an hour, stirring and making sure there is enough liquid in the pot.  Adding water is a no-no unless you must, the whole point is to let the meat cook in its own juices.  If you notice that there isn’t a lot of liquid left in the pot, add more red wine or a little bit of water. 

The stew is ready when the meat breaks up easily when you squeeze it with a spoon, the sauce is thick and dark, and the onions are soft, almost melting.  The contents of the pot should reduce in size to about a half of what it was when you started cooking.  Taste to see of more salt & pepper is needed.

Enjoy!

Region: Europe
Country of Origin: Greece

To learn more about Greece, check out the country’s official tourism web site.