Traditional Greek Beef Stifado Stew Recipe - Larder Love (2024)

Table of Contents

Traditional Greek Beef Stifado Stew Recipe What’s in Stifado Aromatic herbs and spices Slow cooking What to serve with stifado Can you freeze stifado Traditional Greek beef stifado stew Ingredients Instructions Notes Nutrition FAQs References

Recipe

This traditional Greek beef stifado stew recipe is the ultimate in comfort food. Richly aromatic this stifado is one of the most popular dishes in Greece. Go to any village taverna and this hearty beef stew will be bubbling away in the kitchen filling the air with fabulous scents that will have you begging for a bowl of this wonderful rich stew.

Traditional Greek Beef Stifado Stew Recipe

Stifado has always been my favourite Greek recipe. It takes me back to when I first worked in Greece in my twenties all those years ago and worked in tavernas for a pittance but loved getting the free meals in the evening.

Stifado was always on the menu and I loved it. Roll on the years and whilst living in Crete it is always stifado I will choose when going out for a meal.

Wherever you go in the world there always seems to be a traditional stew that is the country/region’s signature comfort food.

Where India has aromatic curries heavy with spices, Italy it’s rich ragus and we in Britain have our stews, the Greeks have this beef stifado stew.

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Just the smell of stifado cooking makes my mouth water. Actually just thinking of it can transport me from a rainy day in Scotland to the sunshine of Greece.

I love stew at the best of times, actually, I have been known to eat it cold from the pot and this used to drive my Mum mad.

What’s in Stifado

This is a beef stifado but you can often find rabbit stifado on the menu in tavernas and octopus too. Stifado is just stew, but seriously good stew!

The best beef stifado uses little pearl onions. Lots of onions! Now I know these are a pain in the arse to peel, but they do have a terrific flavour (much better than a normal onion) and give the dish authenticity.

I promise you it is worth all the fiddling about peeling the little buggers. Having said that, if you can’t get hold of any just use sliced up normal onions instead.

This stifado is your basic beef, carrot and onion stew recipe. But oh with a difference. And it’s the blend of herbs and spices that lifts this humble stew to new levels of gastronomic delight.

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Aromatic herbs and spices

It’s the herbs and spices that bring stifado to life. My friend Georgos swears that stifado is all about Daphne.

No, that’s not his wife he’s talking about, Daphne is the Greek name for bay (laurel) and you must have bay leaves in stifado.

Add the sweetness of cinnamon, the punch of cloves and allspice and warmth of cumin and nutmeg.

That is a spice blend there that will have your taste buds tingling. Orange peel and thyme add a zesty herbal note to this richly aromatic stifado.

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Slow cooking

Time is your major component in this traditional Greek stifado. The meat must be tender and succulent.

It cooks slowly in the spices and herbs.

The red wine tenderises the meat till it falls apart when you put your fork into it and melts in your mouth with an explosion of flavour.

Give your beef stifado lots of time to cook, it may seem like this recipe takes forever, but it is SO worth the wait.

Don’t rush things, when it goes into the oven just go off and do something else and let time do all the cooking for you.

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What to serve with stifado

I just serve this stifado with a simple Greek salad in the centre of the table for sharing. Lots of fresh crusty bread is a must. You will want to mop up all that gorgeously rich aromatic sauce from the stifado.

A baked potato is a good choice if you want to add some carbs, or mashed potatoes make this stifado into serious comfort food.

In Greece you are very often served chips with stifado. But then again in Greece you are often served chips with everything!

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Can you freeze stifado

Yes of course you can. Simply save any extra stew in a freezer-proof box (I prefer to use bags as they take up less room) and freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrost completely and cook till piping hot. Once you’ve tasted this traditional Greek beef stifado no stew will ever be the same I promise you.

Kalo Orexi!

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Looking for some more gorgeous Greek comfort food? Then check out these easy recipes;

Easy vegetarian moussaka

Traditional Greek Pastit*io

Spiced stuffed aubergine/eggplant

Quick and easy vegetarian Greek stuffed peppers

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.

Traditional Greek beef stifado stew

Karon Grieve

Beef stifado is a simple Greek stew packed with aromatic herbs and spices, a truly heartwarming dish.

4.34 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Mains

Cuisine Greek

Servings 4 people

Calories 663 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1 kg steak stewing steak cubed
▢ 3 cloves garlic crushed
▢ 1 tsp ground cumin
▢ 1 cinnamon stick
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 6 cloves
▢ 1 tsp dried thyme
▢ 6 allspice berries
▢ 1 pinch nutmeg
▢ 2 carrots chopped
▢ 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
▢ 175 ml red wine
▢ 2 tbsp tomato puree diluted with 1lt water
▢ 600 g pearl onions peeled
▢ 1 tbsp honey
▢ 1 tbsp orange peel dried orange peel
▢ salt & pepper to taste to taste

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 160C/325F
Sear the beef in a hot pan with oil on all sides for 1-3 mins till sealed
Add garlic, spices, herbs, carrots and orange peel and saute for 1 minute
Add the wine and vinegar and saute for further 5 minutes
Add diluted tomato puree and cover the pan
Cook in oven for 2 hours
Remove from oven and add the onions, honey and seasoning, put the lid back on and put in back in the oven for a further 1 hour.
Remove pan from oven and take off lid and cook on the hob for further 20 mins to reduce the liquid.
Serve with mashed potato, chips or a salad.

Notes

Stifado will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and can be frozen too.

Nutrition

Calories: 663kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 53gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 165mgPotassium: 1117mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 5207IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 6mg

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FAQs

What does stifado mean in Greek? ›

The word stifado derives from the ancient Greek word tyfos (τύφος), which means steam. This is the root for the Latin word estufare, from which the Italian stufato (or Venetian stufado), the Italian word for stew, was born.

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What is the history of beef stifado? ›

Stifatho (στιφάδο)—sometimes spelled stifado—is a Greek stew dish. The word comes from "stufado," a dish brought to Greece by the Venetians in the 13th century after the fall of Constantinople and before the Ottoman invasion. It's the Greek version of comfort food—warm, filling, and satisfying.

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How to make stew more tasty? ›

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

What is Greek stifado made of? ›

Stifado, pronounced stiff-ah-do, is a hearty Greek beef stew seasoned with warming spices, red wine, and loads of pearl onions. This stew, which is typically served as a Sunday family dinner on colder fall and winter days, is one of the many traditional Greek comfort food recipes.

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How do you make beef stew meat tender? ›

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

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How do you thicken beef stifado? ›

Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.

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What is the traditional meat in Greece? ›

Meat in traditional Greek cuisine and cooking was mainly reserved for the Sunday meal and for festive occasions. The main animal proteins in the Greek diet are lamb and goat, pork (especially in rural communities), poultry and some game. Fish and seafood, of course, are a seminal part of the Greek diet.

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Do they eat beef in Greece? ›

Beef also plays a vital role in Greek cuisine. It can be used to make dishes like yiouvetsi (a baked casserole dish) or gyros (a popular food item served with pita bread). Beef is also used in other traditional words such as kokoretsi (stuffed intestines) and pastichio (a pasta bake dish).

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What gives beef stew the best flavor? ›

Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

What are the best vegetables to put in beef stew? ›

Peas are nice but I wouldn't add them until the last few minutes. Vegetables that work well in a beef stew include Hardroots vegetable, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, and parsnips. These vegetables add flavor and texture to the stew while complementing the richness of the beef.

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What is the most flavorful meat for stew? ›

For example, chuck is a lean and tender cut of beef that works well in stew. However, if you would prefer a thicker and more flavorful stew, short ribs or oxtail may be better choices for you. To make a delicious stew, choose good-quality ingredients.

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What is the term for Greek appetizers? ›

Meze (also spelled mezze or mezé) (/ˈmɛzeɪ/, /ˈmɛzɛ/) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Albanian, Bosnian, Armenian, Kurdish, Levantine, Turkish, Bulgarian, Greek, Iraqi, Egyptian, Balkan, South Caucasian and Persian cuisine, to name a few. It is similar to Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti.

What makes a dish Greek? ›

Greek cuisine uses some flavorings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines do, namely oregano, mint, garlic, onion, dill, cumin, and bay laurel leaves. Other common herbs and spices include basil, thyme and fennel seed. Parsley is also used as a garnish on some dishes.