Stifado — Greek Beef Stew with Pearl Onions

Greek Non Fasting Published April 21, 2026

Non-Fasting Recipe: This dish contains meat, dairy, or eggs and is intended for feast days and non-fasting periods.

A slow-cooked stew of beef (traditionally rabbit or hare) with a pile of sweet pearl onions, tomato,
red wine, and warm spices. The onions should equal the beef in volume — half the dish is the
alliums. Served over hilopites pasta or with crusty bread and feta.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (beef)

SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS:
- 1.2 kg beef chuck, cut into 4 cm chunks
- 1 kg pearl onions or very small shallots, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (400 g) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 300 ml dry red wine
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 whole cloves
- 10 whole allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh parsley and feta, for serving

METHOD:
1. Pat beef dry. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown beef in batches, 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add butter to the pot. Add pearl onions whole. Cook 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until deeply golden all over.
4. Add garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, and bay leaves. Cook 1 minute.
5. Return beef to the pot. Add red wine, vinegar, crushed tomatoes, sugar, and enough water to barely cover.
6. Cover and simmer on lowest heat for 2 - 2.5 hours until beef is meltingly tender and onions are sweet and soft.
7. Uncover for the last 20 minutes if sauce is thin — reduce until glossy and thick. Do not stir vigorously; let the onions stay whole.
8. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Taste for salt.
9. Serve over buttered pasta (hilopites or tagliatelle) or with bread. Top with feta and parsley.

NOTES:
- The onions are the whole point. Use tiny pearl onions or the smallest shallots you can find. They should stay whole and sweet.
- Peeling pearl onions is tedious. Shortcut: blanch them in boiling water 60 seconds, shock in ice water, and the skins slip off.
- The warm spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice) are the distinctively Greek note. Do not omit.
- Traditionally made with rabbit, hare, or venison. Beef is now standard. Game versions are excellent if you can get them.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 520 | Protein: 38 g | Carbohydrates: 24 g | Fat: 28 g | Fibre: 3 g