Greek Beef Stew

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4.41000 from 5 votes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2

Total Time: 2 15

Calories: 632kcal

Servings: People

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

22.5 ml Olive Oil
1.5 kg Beef Chuck Steak Diced
2 Brown (Yellow) Onions Diced
6 Shallots Halved & Peeled
4 Garlic Cloves Chopped
8 g Ground Cumin
130 g Tomato Paste
180 ml Red Wine
60 ml Red Wine Vinegar
550 g Chicken Stock
2 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Whole Cloves tied in a muslin bag or tea infuser for easy removal — see method
4 Dried Bay Leaves
7 g Fresh Oregano
90 g Dried Currants (Optional)
Seasoning To Taste

Method

Heat half of the oil in a large pan over high heat. Sear the beef in batches for 5 minutes, or until browned, transferring each batch to a heatproof bowl or plate.
Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the onion and shallot. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground cumin and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the red wine, red wine vinegar, and stock. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer.
Add the beef back in along with the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves (tied in a muslin bag or tea infuser if you have one, to make them easy to remove later), and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the lid, add the oregano and currants (if using), and cook uncovered over low heat for a further 1 hour, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced. Season to taste.
Before serving, remove and discard the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and bay leaves.
Serve with mashed potato, rice, pasta, mixed vegetables, or bread. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with fresh oregano and cracked black pepper. Dig in.

Chef's Tips

Sear the beef in batches without crowding the pan, as written — crowding drops the pan's heat and steams the meat instead of browning it, and that colour is where most of the depth in this stew comes from.

Tie the cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves together, or use an infuser, rather than adding them loose — it makes them far easier to fish out cleanly at the end instead of hunting through the stew piece by piece.

Let the stew go the full 2 hours across both stages — the first covered hour tenderises the meat, and the second uncovered hour is what reduces and concentrates the sauce, so cutting either stage short affects a different part of the result.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months, in an airtight container — this one freezes and reheats exceptionally well, and often tastes even better the next day.

To reheat, warm in a pan over medium-low heat or microwave until hot throughout, stirring occasionally. Thaw frozen portions in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Serving 500gCalories 632kcalCarbohydrates 45gProtein 58gFat 24.2gSaturated Fat 8.3gPolyunsaturated Fat 1.97gMonounsaturated Fat 11.99gTrans Fat 0.5gCholesterol 147.8mgSodium 361.5mgPotassium 1525.6mgFiber 9.8gSugar 16.7gVitamin A 279.27IUVitamin C 19.18mgCalcium 289.6mgIron 16.5mg