This stew is slow-simmered to bring out every ounce of goodness from the meat and vegetables. It’s savory with a hint of sweetness!
Ingredients
8 onion
Pearl onion
3 clove(s)
Garlic
3 tbsp
Tomato paste, organic
908 gm
Oxtail
(cut into pieces)
1 tbsp
Salt
1/2 tbsp
Black pepper
1 whole orange(s)
Orange juice
1 whole orange(s)
Orange peel (zest)
1 can(16oz)
Crushed tomatoes canned
2 tbsp
Red wine vinegar
2 stick(s)
Cinnamon
2 leaf
Bay leaf
8 berries
Allspice, whole
1 tbsp
Oregano, dried
1 dash
Ground cloves
1/2 cup whole
Black olives
(pitted)
150 gm
Butter, unsalted
Instructions
Peel the onions and garlic, and cut them in half. Brown them slightly in oil and add in the tomato paste. Stir well, and sauté with the onions for a few minutes — this will remove some of the acidic tang from the paste. Transfer the onion mixture into a Crock-Pot or a stew pot.
Sear the oxtail in a separate sauté pan, and season with salt and pepper. Wash and julienne the orange peel with a zester or a potato peeler. Juice the orange, and mix juice and orange peel into the stew along with the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, oregano, ground cloves, and olives.
Place the meat into the sauce, and deglaze the sauté pan with 2 fl. oz. (50 ml) water; pour the resulting sauce over the stew. Let it simmer in the Crock-Pot on low for about 7 to 8 hours. On the stovetop, it will take between 4 to 5 hours. Test and see if the meat is tender; if not, let it cook a little longer. Taste and adjust for seasoning as needed.
To cook the stifado in the oven, let the stew come to a boil, and then set it, covered with a tight-fitting lid, in an oven set at 200°F (100°C). Check on it after a few hours, turning the chunks of meat, and thin the sauce with some more water if it gets too thick.
After 8 hours, use a fork or toothpick to check and see if the meat is tender. If it’s not ready, let it simmer for another hour.
