Beef Stamna

This is a fantastic slow cooked Greek beef stew which I came across during my couple of seasons in Corfu some decade ago and is so hearty and comforting as a dish - it is like a hug in a bowl. 

I've played around with this quite a bit as there aren't a mass of recipes available online for it - the basis comes from this Mamtas Kitchen recipe but I have tinkered with it quite a bit - depending on my family's tastes and preferences, what I've had in stock and most importantly, how I remember it from Corfu myself.

It can also be made with lamb if you prefer, but I've only ever had it with beef and don't be alarmed by the large amount of cinnamon - by the time it has cooked out, it's just really aromatic and flavoursome. I prefer the consistency using white wine, rather than red too, but feel free to experiment. I also transfer the slow cooker dish to the oven to melt the cheese - and last week we had the Stamna a day after cooking - and it seemed even better than normal, so is a great batch cook idea. 

You can also cook this in an ordinary casserole dish in the oven at a very low heat of around 140 degrees for several hours.

Traditionally you would find this dish served individually in earthenware dishes which remain very hot - I always make a family sized dish, and dish up individually into cold bowls - which helps prevent burning little ones' mouths.

The below comfortably serves a family of four with some Dirty Greek Fries and crusty bread on the side. I cook in my slow cooker all day and the end result is a rich, glossy sauce and melt-in-the-mouth meat that falls apart at the touch of the fork. In a word, delicious.

Beef Stamna

Here's how:

• 500g beef shin (you could also use braising steak, or stewing steak)
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• Large pinch of salt
• Black pepper
• 1 large white onion
• 3 large carrots
• 4 large potatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 jar passata
• 4 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 2 heaped tsp paprika
• 1/4 freshly ground nutmeg
• Pinch of white sugar
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 glass dry white wine
• 500ml beef stock (I use a Knorr Beef Stock Pot)
• Large handful grated hard cheese (Cheddar, Grana Padana, or even a Red Leicester works here)

Firstly cut the meat up into decent sized chunks and set aside. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a pan and place onto a medium heat.

Now place the plain flour into a bowl and season very generously with black pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir a little and then place the beef pieces into the flour and move around to ensure they get a good coating of flour - this will ensure the sauce thickens nicely later on.

Now add the cinnamon to the pan and mix the beef around so it gets a good coating. Allow to cook for a minute or so.

Place the beef into the now hot pan and allow to just brown off a little on each side, then place into your slow cooker (or casserole dish). 

Now pour the white wine into the still hot pan and allow to de-glaze the pan of any excess flavours and after a minute or so pour everything into the dish.

Next prepare the vegetables - peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic and add to the dish.

Peel the carrots into thick slices and place into the dish. 

Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes; rinse them off a little, then place into the dish.

Add the remaining spices (paprika and nutmeg), the pinch of sugar, the passata, Rosemary and the made up stock. Now season one more time, mix together, pop the lid on and leave to cook for 6-8 hours on the slowest cooker method - or if using the higher/speedier mode then for 3-4 hours.

Don't touch the lid for the first two hours, but after that give it a stir every hour and watch it thicken, and fill your home with the most delicious aromas.

Once getting ready to serve pop the oven on high - grate the cheese up, and place a little mounds in various spots across the cooked Stamna dish and place the interior part of the dish into the heated oven and once the cheese the melted, you are ready to dish up. Enjoy!

If, like me, you love a hearty Greek dish in the colder autumn and winter months here are a few more you may enjoy:

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

Souzoukakia - Greek Meatball Bake

Pastitsio - The Greek Lasagna

Moussaka

Prawn Saganaki

Spanakopita - Greek Spinach and Cheese Pie

Greek Briam - Vegetable Stew

Greek Chicken One Pot

Moussaka - our Greek Meat Pie

Mousakka is a fantastic family meal and a great alternative to a cottage or shepherd’s pie but one which is equally devoured by my little ladies. Bridget calls this ‘Greek meat pie’ and her and Beatrice had it at least 7 times on our recent fortnight in Kefalonia – a firm favourite.

I favour the version which seems to be more prevalent in the Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos) which has a layer of potato in a creamy white sauce enriched with egg, rather than the more well-known layer of aubergine. If you would rather include aubergine instead, just slice an aubergine into 1cm slices, and dry fry for 30 seconds before layering on top of the meat.

I use beef, which again seems to be the norm in the Ionian Islands, but again in some parts of Greece, Turkey and he Balkans this is more traditionally lamb mince, it’s totally adaptable and down to your own personal preference.

It is very much a Greek cooking method to ‘enrich’ a sauce using a beaten egg, which is done here, but please do ensure you wait until the sauce has completely cooled otherwise your hard work will be reduced to scrambled egg.

You’ll be hard pushed to find a more satisfyingly rich meat sauce than a slow cooked Greek one. Greek food often gets a bad rap in the UK, but I think it’s fantastic and my family certainly agree.If you tried and liked the Patsitsio recipe recently - this is up there with that for delivering on flavour, comfort and pleasing all of the family.

Feeds 4-5 and I serve with salad.

Moussaka - our Greek Meat Pie

Here’s how:
The meat:

• Drizzle olive oil
• 500g steak mince
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
• 1 pinch salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 200ml red wine (I used Chianti as we had a bottle open)
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• Handful bay leaves

The topping:

• 4-5 white potatoes (I used desiree)
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 300ml whole milk
• 50g Grana Padana or Kefalotyri if you can get hold of it
• Nutmeg

I make the white sauce first by melting the butter into a non-stick pan, then slowly adding the flour and mixing the whole time with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Now slowly add the milk, mixing in the roux the whole time, pressing it down until it takes the form of the sauce rather than a big lump. Repeat until all of the milk is added, then add the grated cheese and a little nutmeg and continue cooking and stirring the whole time for a further five minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy. Now set aside away from the heat and allow to fully cool.

For the meat sauce, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan, and place on a medium heat.

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan. After a couple of minutes, add the mince, cinnamon and oregano and season generously. (You can leave out the salt if preparing for a small baby.)

Use a wooden spoon to break down the meat so it doesn’t clump together and once browned add the flour and mix well. This will help to thicken the final meat sauce.

Now add the red wine, passata and tomato puree, stir well and cook for 30 minutes until it has reduced down to a thick and unctuous ragu.

While the meat sauce is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut into slices about 1cm thick. Give them a good rinse then pour over boiling water add a pinch of salt and cook for five minutes, then drain.

By now the white sauce should have cooled sufficiently, so beat an egg in a separate bowl and then combine with the white sauce, mix well and it should add an extra glossiness to the sauce.

Once you are satisfied with the meat sauce, remove from the heat and spoon into an oven-proof dish.

Now layer the potatoes over so all of the meat is covered.

Now spoon over the white sauce, using the back of the spoon to spread out evenly and ensure everything has a coating of the sauce. The addition of the egg means this should help the topping to ‘hold’ well so once the dish is complete and you’re ready to dish up, you should be able to slice into neat squares of moussaka.

Scatter over the remaining grated cheese and a smidge more freshly grated nutmeg and this is ready for the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Moussaka - just out of the oven

Moussaka - a firm family favourite

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before portioning and plating up for the family. I serve with salad and this was enough for my family of four plus a generous portion for the following day’s lunch.

Here’s some of our other favourite Greek dishes:
Prawn Saganaki
Pastitsio
Briam
Gemistes
Feta & Spinach Open Tart
Greek Salad
Greek Chicken One Pot
Souvlaki
Tzatziki
Greek Yoghurt and Honey Baked Cheesecake

Greek Briam - Glorious Summer Vegetable Stew

Briam is a wonderful Greek vegetable stew that can be adapted according to what's in season - or in the larder. It's a great vegetarian main course that takes very little preparation but tastes fabulous and is economical too.

I've experimented with recipes from several online sources as well as one from The Food and Cooking of Greece - a wonderful book which gives lots of information about ingredients used in Greek cookery and the history and origin of many dishes. With a little trial and error, the below recipe is the one I believe most resembles the delectable dish I associate with my beloved Corfu and glorious hot summer nights. 

This will serve four people with rice and some fresh, crusty bread. 

Here's how:

200g peeled potatoes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Handful fresh cherry tomatoes
1 courgette
1 onion
1 green pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
1tbsp dried oregano
1tsp sea salt
Pinch of peppercorns
1/2 glass of red wine 
Couple strands of celery
1/2 pint of vegetable stock

Firstly peel the potatoes and chop into small cubes, rinse then parboil. 

In the meantime slice the onions and garlic and add to a deep casserole dish. Halve the courgette and then halve again and chop into equal discs about the thickness of a pound coin and throw into the dish.

Cut the pepper into similar sized chunks as the courgette and cut the tomatoes in half and add both. 

Peel the carrot and chop into fine oblongs. Chop the celery and add both to the casserole dish.

Add the tin of tomatoes, the drained potatoes (drain when you can pierce the flesh with a fork easily) and the red wine.

Add the bay leaf, seasoning and oregano and pour over the vegetable stock and 2 tbsp olive oil and give a good stir. Place the lid on and pop into the oven for 2.5 hours at around 150-160 degrees. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking and stir every 40 minutes or so.