Hi, troops!
Thanks to Tina Tsovras, we have an authentic Greek
recipe for stefado, or stifatho. She and I worked
together to modify it in time for Greek Orthodox
Easter, and now I'm posting it for all of you (in time
for whatever you want it for!).
Tina's Greek Stifatho
1-1/2 cups TVP chunks (I think that's quorn for you
Brits--thanks, Cliff!)
3-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 large bayleaf
1 cinnamon stick, cut in half
1 tsp. allspice, or 4 whole cloves
1 6 oz. can tomato paste, or puree
1-1/2 cups red burgundy wine
1-1 1/2 cups water (see note, below)
18 oz. small pearl onions, peeled (see note, below)
salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Dump everything into a Dutch oven or crockpot. Cook on
a very low flame until sauce is thickened, and
TVP and onions are tender (about 2-2 1/2 hours in a
Dutch oven or 4 hours to overnight in crockpot).
Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick before serving. For
authentic Greek meal, serve with a green salad, nonfat
feta cheese (if you can find it--does it exist?), a
crisp round of bread, and red Retsina wine. Or serve
over rice or wide "goulash" noodles, with a green
veggie or salad on the side.
Note 1: The amount of liquid depends on how "soupy"
you want the end result to be. 1-1/2 cups of TVP will
absorb a major part of 3 cups of liquid, so if you
want more than a small amount of thick gravy, add extra
liquid at the beginning. This recipe, as given, makes
a gravy that is thick and rich but not particularly
copious.
Note 2: To peel easily, place in boiling water for 3
minutes, then remove and cool under cold water. Cut
off the root end and squeeze out like toothpaste. It
took me about 10 minutes to peel 18 oz. of onions (3
6-oz. bags).
This version would serve 3-4 as a main dish if there
are also side dishes to distract the eaters. For a
group, I'd double: 3 c. TVP, total 6 cups liquid + the
quantity of gravy you want in the finished dish, 12-15
oz. of tomato sauce or puree. But I would leave the
seasonings as you had them. Three bay leaves is
plenty, for example.
My husband loved it and asked for me to put it in the
"weekly rotation". Tina will have to speak to how her
family liked it!
Bon appetit, all. And thanks, Tina!
Ruth C. Hoffman ruthhoff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking
new landscapes but in having new eyes." --Marcel
Proust
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