Greek Beef Stifado

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef chuck, cut into large chunks
• 1.75 lbs shallots, peeled and left whole
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 allspice berries
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Before you cook

• Peel the shallots, keeping them whole.
• Soak the peeled shallots in cold water for 30 minutes to mellow their sharpness.
• Cut the beef into large chunks.

Steps

1. Pat the beef chunks dry and season them with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
3. Brown the beef in batches, about 3 minutes per side, then set it aside.
4. Drain the shallots and add them to the pot, browning them lightly for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
6. Return the browned beef to the pot.
7. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
8. Add the crushed tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice berries and bay leaves.
9. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low.
10. Simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fork-tender.
11. Stir in the red wine vinegar.
12. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice berries and bay leaves before serving.
13. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
14. Serve hot with crusty bread or rice.