Beef Stifado - Greek Beef & Onion Stew

In this classic Greek Beef Stifado Stew, boiled onions, garlic and beef are simmered in savory cinnamon, clove, and red wine sauce to release the rich flavors in this dish. The beef becomes very tender and the flavors meld into a memorable culinary experience.

Now is the perfect time to try this savory and hearty beef stew with the chuck roasts on sale at Safeway. Serve with crusty Italian bread or freshly baked homemade artisan bread to sop up all the delicious juices.

Ingredients

3 - 4 lbs chuck roast, fat trimmed and diced into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 sprig rosemary
4 bay leaves
2 cups + 1-2 cups beef broth
16 oz tomato sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup red wine
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
Signature Farms Red Pearl Onions 8 oz, peeled
Signature Farms Yellow Pearl Onions 8 oz, peeled
Cheesecloth or tea infuser ball

Note - you can also use stew meat. Typically stew meat is comprised of sirloin, which is very lean and tender. We like to use a chuck roast for its great marbling, which adds delicious flavor to the stew.

How to Make Beef Stifado

This dish takes time because of all the onions involved, but you can brown and stew the meat while peeling the pearl onions. Plan for about 30 minutes to peel all the onions. To save time, you can use frozen pearl onions, but they don't have the same complexity of flavor as fresh pearl onions.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef in two batches and brown the beef. Add all the beef back to the pot and add chopped onion to the pot and cook until tender.

Wrap the cloves and whole peppercorns in a cheesecloth or use a tea infuser ball.

Add the 8 whole cloves of garlic, the peppercorns, and cloves in the cheesecloth, rosemary sprig, bay leaves, beef broth, tomato sauce, cinnamon stick, red wine vinegar and red wine to the pot and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, peel the onions and shallots and set them aside.

Once the beef has simmered for 1.5 hours, add the pearl onions and shallots to the stew.

Cook over low heat for another 25 minutes until the onions are tender. If needed, add an additional 1 to 2 cups of beef broth if the liquid is low.

Remove the rosemary stem, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and the cheesecloth satchel from the stew before serving.

Beef Stifado -Greek Beef & Onion Stew

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: Beef & Onion Stew, Beef Stifado, Greek Beef Stew

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 2

Total Time: 2 40

Servings: servings

Author: Eva

Ingredients

3 - 4 lbs chuck roast diced into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 yellow onion diced
8 cloves of garlic peeled
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 sprig rosemary
4 bay leaves
2 cups + beef broth may use up to 2 extra cups if needed
16 oz tomato sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup red wine
2 shallots peeled and quartered
Signature Farms Red Pearl Onions 8 oz peeled
Signature Farms Yellow Pearl Onions 8 oz peeled
Cheesecloth or tea infuser ball

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef in two batches and brown the beef. Add all the beef back to the pot and add chopped onion to the pot and cook until tender.
Wrap the cloves and whole peppercorns in a cheesecloth or use a tea infuser ball.
Add the 8 whole cloves of garlic, the peppercorns, and cloves in the cheesecloth, rosemary sprig, bay leaves, beef broth, tomato sauce, cinnamon stick, red wine vinegar and red wine to the pot and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours.
Meanwhile, peel the onions and shallots and set them aside.
Once the beef has simmered for 1.5 hours, add the pearl onions and shallots to the stew. Cook over low heat for another 25 minutes until the onions are tender. If needed, add 1 - 2 cups additional beef broth if the liquid is low.
Remove the rosemary stem, cinnamon stick, cheesecloth or tea ball infuser with the cloves and peppercorns and the bay leaves before serving.