Name: Beef Brisket Stifado with Pilafi Pourkouri
Ingredients: 1 –1.5 kg beef brisket (trimmed and cut into 4 cm chunks); 20 shallots (peeled and left whole); 5 garlic cloves (peeled whole); 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes; 200 ml red wine; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 cinnamon stick; 3 whole cloves; 2 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 potatoes (peeled and quartered); 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 3 sprigs fresh oregano; Extra virgin olive oil (for cooking); 1½ cups bulgur wheat; 3 cups water; 1 teaspoon stock powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon olive oil

Beef Brisket Stifado with Pilafi Pourkouri

Slow-cooked until rich and deeply tender, this Greek Cypriot-style stifado is filled with sweet shallots, warming spices and soft potatoes, served alongside pilafi pourkouri.

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Servings: 6 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Cypriot, Greek

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Stifado

1 –1.5 kg beef brisket trimmed and cut into 4 cm chunks
20 shallots peeled and left whole
5 garlic cloves peeled whole
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
200 ml red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 potatoes peeled and quartered
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh oregano
Extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Pilafi Pourkouri

1½ cups bulgur wheat
3 cups water
1 teaspoon stock powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to 140°C fan-forced.
Heat a large oven-safe casserole pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the base, then brown the beef in batches, turning every couple of minutes until deeply coloured all over. Transfer to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add a little more olive oil if needed. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2–3 minutes until caramelised.
Pour in the tomatoes and red wine, then return the beef to the pot.
Add enough water to just cover the meat. Stir in the vinegar, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for an hour and a half.
Add the potatoes and fresh herbs. Return to the oven for another hour, or until the beef is tender and the potatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, make the pilafi pourkouri. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat and lightly toast the bulgur for 1–2 minutes. Add the water, stock powder and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave covered until ready to serve.
Remove the lid from the stifado, increase the oven temperature to 200°C and cook uncovered for a final 10 minutes to deepen the colour and thicken the sauce slightly.
Serve hot with the pilafi pourkouri.

Notes

If you don’t have an oven-safe pot with a lid, transfer everything to a roasting tray and cover tightly with foil before baking.
Like most slow-cooked stews, this tastes even better the following day.

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Beef Brisket Stifado with Pilafi Pourkouri