← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg beef chuck or shin, cut into 5 cm chunks
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 200 ml dry red wine
• 800 g chopped or crushed tomatoes (2 tins)
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 3 whole cloves
• 4 allspice berries
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pinch Sugar
• 500 g bucatini, spaghetti or pappardelle
• 80 g Kefalograviera or kefalotyri cheese, grated, to serve
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Pat the beef dry and season it. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat and brown the beef in batches, 3–4 min per side, until well coloured. Set aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and cook for 6–8 min until soft, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute.
3. Return the beef, pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 min. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves, sugar and enough water to almost cover the meat.
4. Cover and simmer on low for 1½ hours, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if it gets too thick.
5. Uncover and simmer for 20–30 min more until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick and glossy. Fish out the whole spices and season.
6. Near the end, cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente and drain. Serve the pasta topped with the beef and plenty of sauce, with the cheese grated over.

Tips

• The braise tastes even better the next day; cook the pasta fresh.
• Tie the whole spices in a little muslin bag so they are easy to remove.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

My Greek Dish Dimitras Dishes