Escape to the Mediterranean | Greek Style Beef Stew

SimplyCooking Greek Style Beef Stew

Do you find cooking a chore or recreation?  Here we are in the 21st century and most of us still fall into one category or the other, whether we are man or woman, old or young.  Pleasure is an essential ingredient to the daily routine of cooking.  The pleasure we get from cooking one day urges us to do it all again the next. Knowing others are getting the same pleasure from cooking their meals all around the world unites us. We can get great inspiration from far away cultures and bring a taste of it to our daily meals with the combination of basic ingredients from the SimplyCooking® Pantry.

greek style beef stew

1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch strips or cubes

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt, Celtic Sea Salt preferable

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsp. butter, divided

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cups vegetable broth

5 strips of orange peel, each about 1 inch wide

15 oz. tetra pack of diced tomatoes with juices

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 potatoes or sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup pitted green or black olives, sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. On a dinner plate stir the flour, salt and pepper then coat the steak strips evenly with flour.  In a deep-sided, oven-safe pot with lid (or a large cast iron skillet), heat 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high.  Remove the beef cubes from the flour with a slotted spoon and add to the warmed pot in a single layer.  Sauté, turning on all sides, until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove browned beef to a plate.

Place the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in the pot.  Add chopped onions and cook, stirring until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.   Add the Italian seasoning and stir.  Add a bit of broth, scraping cooked bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the rest of the broth, orange peel, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Remove from heat.  Place the lid on the pot and transfer to preheated oven.  Bake 1 hour, until the meat is tender.

To finish, discard the orange peel and stir in the olives.  Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Serve over pasta, couscous or with chunks of good crusty bread.

(Note:  The photo shows the stew made with sweet potatoes.)