Stifado

Stifado is a Greek braised stew of beef, or sometimes rabbit, cooked slowly with whole small onions in a sauce of red wine, tomato and spices. It is one of the best-known home-cooked dishes of mainland Greece and the islands.

What it really is

The meat is usually beef chuck or shin cut into large cubes and browned in olive oil. Whole pearl onions or small shallots are browned or softened in the same pot, then the meat goes back in with red wine, tomato (fresh or as paste), a little vinegar, bay leaf, cinnamon and allspice, and sometimes a spoon of sugar to balance the acidity. The pot is covered and simmered until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick, glossy gravy around the onions.

Rabbit stifado is an older and widely cited variant, and some regions use goat or pork. Stifado should not be confused with kokkinisto, a tomato-based braise with a looser sauce, or with kleftiko, which is lamb baked in a sealed parcel. The defining features of stifado are the whole onions and the sweet-spiced red wine sauce.

How it's served

• Served hot in a deep bowl or on a platter, with the onions and sauce spooned over the meat.
• Usually accompanied by rice, boiled potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
• Often eaten as a main course at family meals and tavernas, sometimes with a Greek salad alongside.
• Commonly served the day after cooking, as the flavours settle and the sauce thickens.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the main protein (beef, or rabbit where served) and the whole small onions, for example: Beef stifado with pearl onions, red wine and cinnamon.
• Mention that the dish contains red wine, which means sulphites are present.
• State that the dish is cooked in olive oil and contains no dairy, and say if it is served with rice or potatoes.
• Specify the spice blend if it includes cinnamon or allspice, as guests with spice sensitivities may ask.