Mamma Pappas’ Greek Stew
During the winter season Pappas Greek attends craft shows, boat shows, beer festivals and more! At Pappas Greek, we know how cold it can be in Canada, and what better way to keep warm with a homemade Greek stew made from scratch. Mamma Pappas’ recipe is a warm and hearty meal that will warm you up and always leave you wanting more…Mamma Pappas makes a big pot of Greek stew for each event! At home, she uses this recipe that can feed up to 6 people.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb cubed beef
- 1 onion peeled & chopped
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/2 cup red wine merlot
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 can plump tomatoes
- 2 carrots peeled & chopped
- 2 potatoes peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pinch rosemary
- 1 pinch oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp black ground pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 the beef and cook and stir until it browns on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside. Brown the remaining meat and set aside. *If using pressure cooker: use a 5-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat.*
- Place the chopped onion in the pot; stir for 1 minute. Add garlic and stir for another minute. Pour the wine, beef broth and red wine vinegar; stir in the tomato paste and mix.
- Grind rosemary, oregano, and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Add the spices to the pot adding bay leaves, cloves, cumin, black pepper, and brown sugar.
- Add in tomatoes and it’s juice; rinse the can with a small amount of water and add the water to the pot. Stir in carrots and potatoes. Now add the browned meat to the pot. A 5-quart pot should be about half full and soupy; the potato will most likely dissolve but thats okay, it will thicken after cooking. Cover the pot with it’d lid.
- Turn the pot up to high heat and let cook for 1-2 hours. After that time, keep heat on low not exceeding 4 hours. Taste the Greek stew and add salt, if desired. *If using a pressure cooker: Bring the pot up to high pressure over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, maintaining full pressure, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the pressure reduce naturally.
Notes
You can use low-sodium chicken broth instead of the beef broth. If you used canned broth or stock with salt, don’t add any more salt. It’s very good with homemade veggie stock. This is not as good without tomato paste or bay leaves. I’m sure you could sub tofu for the beef and make it completely vegan, but I will leave that to my vegetarian friends. Great the next day. Enjoy!
This can also be made in a slow cooker. Omit the 1/2 cup water. Use a skillet and follow steps 1 and 2. Transfer contents of the skillet to a slow cooker; add the potatoes and carrots. Place the browned meat on top of the vegetables and add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.
Hopefully you try this recipe! If anyone has any questions or comments please drop a line and let us hear it! We serve this and three other winter options on the truck such as: chilli, potato leek soup & hot vegetable soup. See you next time!
Hopefully you try this recipe! If anyone has any questions or comments please drop a line and let us hear it! We serve this and three other winter options on the truck such as: chilli, potato leek soup & hot vegetable soup. See you next time!