Greek · Main · Medium
Kokkinisto
Beef braised low and slow in red wine and tomato with cinnamon and cloves. Sunday dinner, Greek style.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Kokkinisto, in 5 ideas
- Browning the beef properly is where the flavor comes from, do not rush it.
- Cinnamon and cloves are subtle here, they should whisper, not shout.
- It is even better the next day, make it ahead if you can.
- Serve over rice, orzo or mashed potatoes to catch the sauce.
- A cheap dry red wine is perfect, save the good bottle for the table.
What you need
Ingredients
- 800g beef chuck, in large chunks
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 400g crushed tomatoes
- 250ml dry red wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 80ml olive oil
- Fresh parsley
How to make it
Directions
- Brown the beef in batches in hot olive oil until deeply colored, then set aside.
- Soften the onions in the same pot, add garlic, then the wine, scraping up the browned bits.
- Return the beef with tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves and bay. Add water to just cover.
- Simmer gently 1 hour 15 minutes until the beef is spoon tender.
- Remove the spices, adjust seasoning, scatter parsley and serve over rice or orzo.
Money saver. Chuck is one of the cheapest beef cuts and becomes the most tender in a braise like this.