Greek stewed Beef and Eggplant (STIFADO)

Greek stewed Beef and Eggplant   (STIFADO)

Served with green beans and mushrooms and noodles with sauce from the pan of beef

I just returned from a lovely weekend at a friend’s home at the seaside and she served this amazing dish at a late lunch.  It is a traditional type of Greek stew with a twist of adding eggplants.  My friend described how she made it and I changed a few ingredients to make the below dish.

 The large amount of caramelized onions (made with a pinch of sugar), give the dish a rich and sweet taste.  The long simmering of the meat helps make the beef tender and infuses great flavor to the dish.

2 pounds beef chuck cubed

3 large onions sliced thickly

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

Pinch sugar

½ lemon and its juice

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 can tomato paste

½ cup red wine (optional)

1 tablespoon herbs de Provence

½ teaspoon rosemary

1 large bay leaf

1 to 2..3 inch cinnamon stick cloves minced

 

In separate pan:

8 small purple eggplants

2 more tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in oil with a pinch of sugar and stir frequently. Once they are a light golden color stir in beef cubes and brown on all sides.  Add lemon juice, spices, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste and water to cover and lower heat to medium low and simmer. 35-40 minutes (give a quick stir every so often)

 

In new pan add 2 tablespoon olive oil.  Add eggplant and brown all sides over medium heat.  Try not to prick the eggplants open. 

Place the eggplants on one sie of a bakking dish and the beef mixture on the other.  Cover eggplants with some of the sauce.  Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes. CHecking that there is plenty of liquid in the pan and spoon some of its juice on the top of all.

 

 

TIPS: 

Cooking on low heat for a long time infuses the rich deep flavor

 

As always be your own Creative Dump Cook and change this recipe to what YOU have on hand!