Lambstifado Recipes

LAMB STIFADO

Steps:

• Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until turning brown and soft.
• Remove and set them aside.
• Add the meat and brown well.
• Add all the remaining ingredients, including the onions.
• Add water to just cover.
• Tightly cover the pot and simmer very slowly for 2 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Like most stews, this is better reheated the next day.

LAMB SHANK STIFADO WITH SAUTEED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a 9-quart heavy ovenproof kettle cook sugar on top of stove over moderate heat, without stirring, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook sugar, stirring with a fork until melted and cook without stirring, swirling kettle, until a deep golden caramel. Add vinegar and stir until caramel is dissolved. Stir in tomatoes with juice, wine, rosemary, cinnamon, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add lamb shanks and braise, covered, in middle of oven until tender, about 2 hours. Braised lamb shanks improve in flavor if made 1 day ahead. Cool mixture, uncovered, and chill, covered. Skim and discard fat from mixture and reheat on top of stove before proceeding.
• In a saucepan of boiling water blanch onions 10 minutes, or until just tender, and drain. Cool onions and peel.
• Quarter potatoes and in a steamer set over simmering water steam potatoes, covered, 8 to 10 minutes, or until just tender. In a large non-stick skillet cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add potatoes with salt and pepper to taste and sauté mixture over moderately high heat 5 minutes, or until potatoes are golden.
• Transfer meat with a slotted spoon to a platter. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Add onions to sauce and boil until sauce is thickened slightly. Spoon sauce and onions over meat and surround with potatoes.

BEEF STIFADO IN THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat and cook beef, onion, and garlic until meat is browned on all sides and onions are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and a good pinch of black pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until ingredients blend, about 3 minutes. Add wine and vinegar and stir to combine.
• Turn slow cooker to Low setting. Pour beef mixture into slow cooker and stir in ketchup.
• Cook on Low until beef is tender, 6 to 8 hours.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a skillet and cook shallots until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cooked shallots to stew for the last 1 to 2 hours of cooking.
• Remove and discard cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and rosemary sprig before serving.

BEEF STIFADO

Steps:

• put meat in a frying pan and sear the meat then add the olive oil, onions and garlic leave until onions start to go soft (about 5 minutes)
• Then add the glass of red wine and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, cover and leave for 5 minutes
• then add your cinnamon, stock cube, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves, rosemary, tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste. keep stirring to let all your ingredients mix together.
• then finally add your chopped tomatoes and continue stirring for 5 minutes,
• then transfer to a clay pot or casserole dish and add about 1/4 - 1/2 litre of water, be careful not to drown the sauce, then cook for at least one hour in the oven on a moderate heat, keeping checking you dont want it to dry out and add water if needed you are aiming for a thick rich sauce texture,
• whilst cooking place your 500 grams of shallots into hot water to soften the skin and peel, then fry these in a little olive oil, be careful not to burn them, just aim to soften them and add a little colour, add these to Stifado after one hour of cooking in the oven and then add them to the pot and cook for a further 1 hour until the meat is tender.

CROCK POT STIFADO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef-- in batches if necessary, adding more oil if needed.
• Transfer beef to crock pot with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce heat to medium and add onions to skillet, cooking until soft; add garlic, cinnamon and allspice and cook for 1 minute.
• Add vinegar, tomato sauce, sugar and bay leaf and stir well to combine.
• Pour mixture over meat.
• Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, until beef is tender.
• Add feta cheese, cover again, and cook on High for 10 minutes.
• Discard bay leaf and serve over hot buttered pasta or mashed potatoes.

LAMB KLEFTIKO

Steps:

• Crush together the garlic cloves and 1 tsp salt using a pestle and mortar. Add the herbs, lemon zest, cinnamon, some black pepper, crush a little more, then stir through 2 tbsp of the olive oil.
• Using a sharp knife, create lots of holes all over the lamb, and rub in the paste, pushing it deep into the holes. Transfer the lamb to a large food bag, pour in the lemon juice and marinate overnight.
• The next day, take the lamb out of the fridge 1 hr before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Lay 2 long pieces of baking parchment on top of 2 long pieces of foil - one widthways, the other lengthways to form a cross. Pop the potatoes in the centre of the parchment and toss with the remaining oil and some seasoning. Bring up the sides of the foil, then pour the marinade from the lamb over the potatoes and throw in the bay leaves.
• Set the lamb on top of the potatoes and scrunch the foil together tightly to completely enclose the lamb. Lift into a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 4½ hrs until very tender.
• Remove tin from the oven and increase the temperature to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Unwrap the parcel and scrunch the foil and parchment under the rim of the tin, baste the lamb with the juices and return to the oven for a further 20 mins until browned. Remove the lamb from the tin, wrap in foil and rest.
• Turn the potatoes over and return to the oven for 30 mins, then season with salt. While the potatoes are cooking, stir together all the ingredients for the yogurt.
• Combine the red wine vinegar, oil and some seasoning to make a dressing for the salad. Toss together the remaining salad ingredients, adding the dressing when you're ready to eat. Serve the lamb with the potatoes and meaty juices, with the salad and yogurt on the side.