Stefado / Greek Beef Stew

Mom changing my diaper at the Acropolis in Athens, 1973. Now, if this doesn’t inspire you to make Greek Stew, I don’t know what will.

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As I mention in the About Dale section of this website, Mom and Dad did a lot of traveling. In 1973, Dad accepted a teaching position at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and this opportunity served as a launching pad for travel. Now that I’m a parent, the idea of carting around two children under the age of four in a war zone sounds appalling, but John and Dale had an appetite for adventure and were clearly made of strong stuff! Apparently we went to Hungary, Greece, Turkey, and even lived on Crete for a while, but I, being one years old, unfortunately have no recollection of those places. We went back to Jerusalem for a month when I was five and I can remember a remarkable amount about that trip, probably because it was so exotic (and I had a rockin’ new Adidas sweatsuit!).

Consequently, Middle Eastern food was my baby food. When we returned back to the states, we used to have hummus on the regular. My sister knew how to make it at, like, age 8, and she would whip up a batch after church on Sunday. Now you can find hummus at the 7-Eleven, but back then it was unheard of and downright weird (if you asked my classmates).

When thinking of a good next recipe, I remembered Mom’s Greek Stefado. Perfect comfort food for this time of year!

STEFADO / GREEK BEEF STEW
Serves about 8

3 lbs lean beef stew in 1 ½” cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup butter
2 ½ lbs. Onions, peeled (the recipe says to use small onions and leave them whole.  I usually use big ones and slice them).
Edit: my aunt suggested using cipolline onions, which are prevalent in Mediterranean cooking. I doubt these were available in NC in the 70s but it sounds like a good upgrade if you can find them!
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/3 cup red wine
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 minced or mashed garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp. whole cloves
¼ tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. raisins or currants

Season meat with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in big kettle.  Toss meat in butter (do not brown).  Put onions on top.  Mix other indredients and pour on top.  (If you use whole onions, put a plate on top to keep them whole.)

DO NOT STIR

Simmer 2 hours, covered.

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