Stifado

the dark, sweet Greek stew of beef or rabbit braised slowly with a great quantity of small whole onions, red wine, vinegar, cinnamon, and bay leaves until rich, glossy, and intensely fragrant

Origin: Greece

From the journey of Bay Leaf.

Stifado is one of the great slow stews of the Greek table, and a dish in which the bay leaf, the laurel native to the Greek world, shows its quiet power. Its defining feature is the onions: not chopped and softened into the background but used whole, a great quantity of small pickling onions or shallots that hold their shape and turn meltingly sweet through the long, gentle braise. With them go beef, or traditionally rabbit or hare, and a warmly aromatic liquor of red wine, red wine vinegar, tomato, garlic, and the sweet spices of the eastern Mediterranean, cinnamon, clove, and bay, that gives the dish its characteristic dark sweetness. It is cooked low and slow until the meat is spoon-tender, the onions are soft and glistening, and the sauce has reduced to a thick, glossy richness. A dish of the winter and of the Sunday table, served with crusty bread, rice, or fried potatoes, stifado carries in its fragrance the whole sweet-spiced character of Greek braising, and the laurel leaf, dropped in whole and lifted out at the end, is one of its essential notes.

Ingredients

The Stew

  • 1 kg stewing beef (or rabbit), cut into large chunks
  • 800 g small pickling onions or shallots, peeled and left whole
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, whole
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

The Braise

  • 200 ml dry red wine
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée

The Aromatics

  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 tsp whole allspice berries (optional)

Method

  1. Season the beef well. Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the meat on all sides in batches, then set aside.
  2. Lower the heat and add the whole onions and garlic, turning them in the oil for a few minutes until lightly golden.
  3. Return the meat to the pot. Add the wine, vinegar, and tomato purée, then the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and enough water to almost cover. Bring to a simmer.
  4. Cover and cook very gently, on the lowest heat or in a 150°C oven, for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the meat is spoon-tender and the onions are soft. Stir as little as possible.
  5. Uncover for the last 20 to 30 minutes to let the sauce reduce to a thick, glossy gravy. Taste and adjust the seasoning, fish out the cinnamon stick, and serve.

Notes

Rabbit or hare (kouneli stifado) is the most traditional meat; beef is the most common today, and the dish also works with veal. The whole small onions are essential and define the dish; do not substitute chopped onion. Serve with crusty bread, rice, orzo (kritharaki), or fried potatoes, and a hard Greek cheese such as kefalotyri alongside.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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