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Meat, European

Beef stifado with rice

Stifado is a Greek beef stew slow cooked with whole baby onions, garlic, and cinnamon. This recipe serves 4, takes 2.5 hours total, stays easy to make, and costs €3.40 per person. The key is a very gentle simmer that softens the meat without toughening it.

Tonight I'm making you stifado, that Greek beef stew with baby onions and cinnamon that fills the whole house with its smell.

Beef stifado with rice
Total time
2 h 30
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.40
Calories per person
570 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

Stifado is the Greek stew that perfumes the whole house with warm spices. Cinnamon and cloves mingle with tomato and red wine to build a deep, slightly sweet sauce that coats tender chunks of beef. The baby onions, added whole near the end, bring a sweetness that balances the sharp edge of the vinegar perfectly.

This is a Sunday dish or a winter weeknight project, the kind you set simmering while you go about your day. It works well for guests too, since the pot can sit on low heat until everyone arrives. Kids who are used to warm spices tend to like it, especially served over rice that mellows the whole dish.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck roast 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Baby pearl onions 500 g
  • Garlic 4 cloves

Pantry

  • Red wineoften in the pantry 25 cl
  • Tomato pasteoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Red wine vinegaroften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Cinnamonoften in the pantry 1 stick
  • Clovesoften in the pantry 3
  • Bay leavesoften in the pantry 2 leaf
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the beef into large cubes and brown it in a Dutch oven with the oil, in small batches.

    Don't overcrowd the pot, the meat needs to sear, not steam.

  2. Add the crushed garlic and tomato paste, then deglaze with the wine and vinegar.

    Scrape the bottom well, all the flavor is there.

  3. Add the cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, a glass of water, salt and pepper, then let it simmer covered over very low heat. 1 h 30

    Look for a barely visible simmer, the meat turns meltingly tender without toughening.

  4. Peel the baby onions, add them whole to the pot, and keep cooking. 40 min

    Blanch them for 2 minutes first, the skin slips right off.

  5. Cook the rice in salted water, then serve the stifado over it.

    Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before serving.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a well marbled chuck roast, the fat melts during the long simmer and keeps the meat moist.
  • Hold off on salting early if your wine already carries some saltiness, taste the sauce before adjusting at the end.
  • Make the stew a day ahead, stifado often tastes better reheated the next day once the flavors have had time to blend.

The variations

  • Swap the chuck roast for beef shank, the texture turns a bit more gelatinous but stays just as tender.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with whole button mushrooms and chickpeas, cutting the simmer time to 45 minutes.
  • For a quicker version, use pre-cut stew beef and shorten the cooking to 1 hour, the meat will be slightly less tender but the dish still delivers.

What to serve it with

  • Steamed or pilaf rice
  • Fresh bread for the sauce
  • Simple green salad

Storage

Stifado keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well for up to 3 months, without the rice. Reheat it gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.

Questions about this dish

Can I replace the red wine with something else?

Use beef broth with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar stirred in. The flavor will be a touch less deep, but the recipe still works well.

Do I need to soak the baby onions before peeling them?

Blanch them for 2 minutes then drop them in cold water, the skin slips right off. This trick saves you from peeling each onion one by one.

Can stifado be made ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually recommended. Cook it the day before and reheat gently the next day, the spices will have infused the sauce even more.

Why does the meat stay tough even after a long simmer?

The heat was probably too high. Stifado needs a barely visible simmer, not a boil, so the collagen in the chuck has time to melt slowly.

How long does it take to make a beef stifado with rice?

Count 2 h 30 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a beef stifado with rice?

About 570 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a beef stifado with rice cost?

About €3.40 per serving, or €13.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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