Greek Beef Stew

http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2010/02/02/greek-beef-stew/?replytocom=80478

Stews are lovely because while they simmer, I forget that I’m the one who made them. When it’s time to sit down and eat, I feel as if someone else cooked for me. What a treat! In this flavorful stew, the cinnamon and herbs create a mellow, earthy gravy that’s a foil for the bright, tart taste of the orange gremolata on top. It’s sophisticated comfort food.

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Cinnamon Beef Stew with Orange Gremolata

Prep 30 min | Cook about 90 minutes | Serves 6-10 | Whole30 compliant

Ingredients:
Stew:
  • 2-3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil

  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

  • 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)

  • 1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1/2 cup beef  or chicken broth

  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

  • 3-5 cups water

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

  • 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

  • 1 sprig fresh sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • garnish: extra-virgin olive oil

Orange Gremolata:
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)

  • zest from 1 orange (about 2 tablespoons)

  • leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

  • 1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)

Directions:
1

Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat, then add the meat in batches and sear on all sides. It’s important that you don’t crowd the pan. The meat needs air around it to achieve a crisp brown crust. With tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the browned pieces to a bowl to catch their juice. Repeat with the remaining cubes.

2

In the same pot, sauté the chopped carrot, onion, celery, and garlic for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 1 minute.

3

Deglaze the pan. Which is just a cook’s way to say: Add the broth and vinegar, then stir with passion, scraping up all the wonderful brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken.

4

Put the meat and its drippings back into the pot. Add 3 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, a healthy dose of pepper, the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, sage, and cinnamon sticks.

5

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer with the pot only partially covered for about 90 minutes. This is not a soupy stew, but if the stew starts to dry out, add more water, about a 1/2 cup at a time. Simmer until the meat is fall-apart tender and the liquid in the pan has been reduced to gravy-like status.

6

During the last 15 minutes of stew cooking time, make the gremolata. In a small bowl, mix the parsley, orange zest, thyme, garlic, and rose water.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and herb stems from the stew pot. Ladle the stew into deep bowls  — bonus points if you also add a light drizzle of olive oil.

This tastes even better on day 2 and 3 (and 4)—and it freezes/defrosts beautifully.

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Comments

  • jencereghino says:

    WOW…this sounds so good! I never would've thought to put cinnamon sticks in my stew…I'm definitely making this! And, I always stir my stews and sauces with passion, but as far as aggressively salting my meat…I can't say I've done that. It does leave a sort of hostile picture in my mind…

    Thank you for the recipe!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    I like to be loving with my food… 'til I'm eating it. Then I tear into it like an animal 😉

  • A says:

    Holy wow. Just made this on an unscheduled, but much-needed rest day. Unbelievably good! The cinnamon and orange zest put it over the top. Getting ready for Midwest Sectionals next weekend, and I think I'll take a big batch to eat during the day. It just might save my life.

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Glad you like! I hope it's your secret weapon at the Sectionals… be sure to let us know how it goes!

  • Jess L. says:

    Lurker coming out of the woodwork to say I made this stew this weekend (and have enough leftover for weeknight dinners) and it is delicious! Thanks for posting. I ate it over mashed cauliflower with roasted garlic.

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Hi, Jess! Thanks for commenting. I'm glad you like it! I'm just about to update the recipe… a local friend says she had to simmer longer, so I'm going to adjust that in the directions.

    And now I'm hungry for this stew again. Maybe I'll make a batch this week 😉

  • Anonymous says:

    Sounds sooo good! So what do I do if I don't have fresh herbs? How much dried rosemary, thyme & sage would I use?

    Thanks!

    Goldnrod

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    The taste will be slightly different with the dried herbs, but should still be pretty tasty. Generally, the proportions for fresh versus dried are this:

    2 teaspoons fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried leaves = 1/4 teaspoon ground leaves

    I would estimate that the fresh herbs I used were about 1 tablespoon each, give or take.

    That means you'd use the following:
    1/2 tablespoon dried leaves or 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground leaves. Put the dried spices in with the liquid; you might need to add a bit more at the end of cooking, depending on how fresh your dried herbs are.

    Be sure to post and let me know how it comes out!

  • Addi says:

    Took that second batch to sectionals – even more delicious than the first batch. (I concur with the longer simmering time…) And, it worked like a charm – easy to scarf between events, and tons of protein for refueling.

    The competition was equally successful – 8 of us from CFOmaha qualified for regionals (I finished 11th, thanks to my secret weapon!), and everyone put out great performances and had an amazing time.

    I have a feeling this stew will be making an encore appearance in Denver come May.

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Addi! That's awesome… congratulations! I'm so glad to know the beef stew delivered as your secret weapon — although I bet you trained your ass off and competed with a lotta heart, too.

    Hooray!

  • Steph says:

    Another lurker coming out of the woodwork…
    I've been making this stew for a couple of months now and I'd have to classify it as addictive. But then yesterday Melissa posted on the Whole9 site that wine was out even for cooking if you're doing the Whole30. Do you have any suggestions for making this without the wine?
    Thanks a million for this and all your other recipes – they are fantastic!

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Hey, Steph! You can replace the wine with 1/2 cup beef broth instead. It won't taste quite as rich, but it should still be delicious. If you try it, post and let us know how it tastes!

  • Anonymous says:

    This was fantastic. The cinnamon totally rocked the dish. Loved it over the mashed cauliflower. Thanks for all your great recipes

  • Katie says:

    Made this last night to serve over roasted cauliflower and it was delicious! I'm so looking forward to leftovers for lunch. Thanks for all the excellent recipes, yo.

  • Melissa 'Melicious' Joulwan says:

    Thanks for letting me know you liked it, yo!

  • Vitaly Sender says:

    Hey Mel,

    This recipe looks fantastic! I’m thinking of trying it this weekend. I recently received a slow cooker/pressure cooker combo and was wondering if you’ve tried this recipe using either of those? Any idea how I could adapt the recipe since you talk about simmering with the lid partially covered, etc?

    • I have ZERO science on pressure cooker cooking… but let me ask Tom Denham if he has ideas. I’ll see what I can cobble together, but you might just have to experiment. Stay tuned…

      • Mel says:

        I heard back from my pressure cooker guru… here’s what he said:

        “A pressure cooker preserves whatever moisture is in the pot, so you might not need to add any water to the pressure cooker beyond ½ cup of wine or broth and the other minor liquids. The basic guideline is to be sure you have at least ½ cup of liquid in the pressure cooker before locking on the top. I typically make that 1 cup for safe keeping, so I might add ½ cup of water (but not 3). Cubes of stew beef should be fully cooked in 10-15 minutes under high pressure. Finely chopped carrots would cook in 2 minutes in the pressure cooker and may melt entirely into the background with 15 minutes of cooking.

        I cooked a 4 pound, 2.5 inch thick chuck roast in 40 minutes last night. The guideline for beef is about 15 minutes per inch. My meat was frozen when I put it in the pot, so I went 40. Cutting meat (or anything) into small pieces reduces the cooking time. That is why I am saying your recipe might be ready in as little as 10 minutes under pressure.”

        • Vitaly Sender says:

          Firstly, thanks so much for going to the effort of getting those answers to me.

          Secondly, OMG that stew is delicious! I made it a few weeks back and looked forward to lunch SO much every day 😀 Will definitely be making it again. Awesome!

        • trish says:

          hi, any idea how long in the slow cooker.

  • Freya says:

    I made this yesterday on my wood stove. I had to go out, so I left it to simmer for 4 hours. Very slowly. When I got home I was greeted by a gorgeous stew. It’s so good!

    Thank you. And thank you for the other recipes too, it makes cooking lowcarb so much easier 🙂

    • Mel says:

      Thanks for letting me know you liked it! I’m re-testing this next week for my cookbook, then shooting the photo. Can’t wait to have that aroma floating around my house again!

  • NicoleK says:

    Absolutely delicious!! This is a family favorite (my kids are 5 & 7) and I love how easy it is. We made it again tonight because I just happened to have all the ingredients. A perfect Friday night for us =). Please tell me this will be in your cookbook, Well Fed 😉

    • Mel says:

      Thanks for letting me know you like it!

      Not only is it in the book, I made a few little changes, tested (and re-tested), and Dave took a gorgeous photo. It’s even better than this version on my blog. Get ready!

  • Bebe says:

    Yummers! This over mashed cauliflower (your recipe) for dinner tonight. Took a heck of a long time to cook but worth the wait. Yum, yum, yum.

  • CJ says:

    So I tried this for dinner tonight!! Oh my!! Yummy. I had to make a little appetizer of roasted brussel sprouts to munch on while it was cooking because I misjudged how hungry I was gonna be but as previous posts have said….. Worth the wait!! The only bad thing is my other half (the anti-thesis of paleo eating) had me sweating that I wouldn’t have any left for lunch tomorrow cause he kept going back for more!! Have no fear my friends! He is done with dinner and I have just enough for tomorrow!!

  • Gary says:

    I now have a new favourite winter dinner, gorgeous,thank you.

    • Mel says:

      For a second, I think you were calling me gorgeous, and I was, like, WOOT!

      Then I realized it was in reference to the stew, and I thought, “Yeah, I feel that way about the stew, too.”

      Enjoy!

  • kim says:

    Wow! This is amazing, can’t even describe the flavor sensation. Had two bowls last night, and this is from a “girl” who was vegetarian for twenty years. Of course, I knew it wouldn’t disappoint based on your “best damn chicken” recipe I tried and commented on a few weeks ago. Yours is the site that opened the “paleo”world to me (never heard of such a thing before!), via the cocoa cauliflower reciope (also delish!). I’m overcoming a lifetime of eating disorders via paleo…it feels good to eat good and FINALLY be making the right choices for my body! Thanks again!

    • Mel says:

      Congrats on making the switch to paleo… sounds like you’ve been through lots of nutrition-related changes. That can’t easy, but you must be feeling so great. YAY!

      Thanks for letting me know. I’m delighted.

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  • Dana says:

    Hokey smokes! This is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth! Unbelievably satisfying. I made it from the Well Fed version of the recipe, and I’m going to try the red wine version ASAP.

    My husband and my son were crazy about it, too, so I know this will definitely be a regular dish in my dinner rotation.

    I think I had the pot more covered than it needed to be during the simmer, so I ended up with quite a bit more liquid than it seems I was supposed to. I added in a package of kelp noodles and let them simmer in for about ten minutes, and that worked great (my husband was delighted to get his noodle “fix”).

    The reheated leftovers are even more delicious. Comfort food at its finest.

    Just SO good!!!

    • Mel says:

      Hooray! So glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorites, too. And yes, the version with the red wine is even more rich and layered in flavor.

      I like to eat the leftovers for breakfast with a fried egg on top. YUM!

  • Jennifer says:

    I made the Well Fed version of this over the weekend. It totally exceeded my expectations. I think it might be the most delicious meal I’ve ever made. Your tips about taking the time to properly sear the meat to get that yummy crust totally paid off. Seriously, so good and so simple. I should have made a triple batch for the freezer. I sure hope you put out another cookbook SOON!

    • Mel says:

      Hooray! Glad you were happily surprised — and I agree that the searing makes it taste awesome. The only down side is that I have a hard time not eating lots of the crispy beef nuggets on their own 🙂

  • Dana says:

    This is so yum-azing that I am planning to make a triple batch (WELL FED version) for our family’s Christmas feast. I’d really like to sear the meat, cook the veg, and deglaze in my stainless steel pan. Then I’d like to put everything into my slow cooker to finish cooking.

    What modifications would you recommend re: the amount of water to use (even stove-top I only use half the recipe amount of water or it doesn’t get gravyish) and length of cooking time (on “high”)? Will I need to adjust seasoning or herb amounts?

    Thank you so much for making my life delicious! 😀

    • Mel says:

      So fun! I love that Well Fed is going to be part of your holiday.

      I’ve never made this in the slow cooker, so I’m guessing here…

      Skip the water completely, I think, and just use the 1/2 cup beef broth (or 1 1/2 cups when you triple it) and balsamic vinegar. For timing, I’d *GUESS* 6-8 hours on low and 4-6 on high.

      You shouldn’t need to adjust seasoning amounts — just the liquid is usually affected by changing the cooking method.

      Is there a reason you want to use the slow cooker, in particular? If you don’t want to monitor the stove, you might want to do all the work on the stovetop, then let it braise in the oven instead of a pot. If you do the oven version, use 350F oven for 2 hours or so and partially cover the pan with foil so all the liquid doesn’t evaporate.

      • Dana says:

        Oh wow, I hadn’t thought of the oven! That’s a great idea.

        My concept for the slow cooker was to have it available at serving temperature over a period of a few hours so diners could help themselves. We won’t be doing a formal sit-down meal, but I didn’t want to compromise on deliciousness.

        I may actually make it the day before, since it is just SO good the next day. So I could *cook* it in the oven, then warm and serve it in the slow cooker. Woo!

  • Elizabeth says:

    I am new to Paleo and recipes like this make it SO easy… served it over mashed cauliflower and so Delicious!!

  • StefDE says:

    I am on Day 11 of my first Whole30 and brand-new to Paleo eating, and your website is a God-sent! Yesterday I made this stew for (non-Paleo) friends coming over next weekend (I will be too busy to cook then, so I will defrost it and let it simmer for a while longer), and I LOVED it! My husband, who is sort of sceptical about this way of eating loved it, too, and was quite impressed.

    Thank you so much for your wonderful recepies and your lively and encouraging website! 🙂

    • Mel says:

      Congratulations on Whole30-ing! Nice job planning ahead, too… genius! I’m glad you and your husband like the stew. Hope you have a great dinner party!

  • Jeweliana says:

    I’m on day 21 of my first whole 30. This sort of diet is pretty new to me, but I’m loving it & feeling incredibly vibrant. Husband’s not so sure, but he’s doing really well too, as long as you don’t ask him. He does freely say that he loves what we’re eating — he just still misses other things.

    This website has been an amazing help in this effort. I’m a very accomplished cook, but really needed the help of a true dino-chow pro like you, Mel, to wrap my cooking mojo around this way of eating.

    I made this stew with almost 6 pounds of chuck roast cut for stew, froze a big portion & am schlepping the rest across a few states to my in-laws, where I will dazzle their carb-glazed noggins with this & some cauliflower mash.

    When the stew was cooling, I lightly cooked up a bunch of baby carrots, green beans, & sugar snap peas, & then added them in order to up the veg quotient but have them stay green (in the case of the beans & snaps) and not get mushy in the stewing. A bit labor intensive but worth it — the veg takes on all those delectable flavors as well.

    Thanks Mel!

    • Mel says:

      Congratulations on making the switch to paleo — I’m so glad you’re finding my recipes helpful! It can be a rocky transition, but it’s so worth it. I understand your husband’s perspective — even after almost 5 years, I still miss certain foods… and I eat them every once in a while 🙂

      I LOVE the idea of adding additional veggies before serving — such a great mod to the recipe.

      Safe travels — happy cooking!

  • Alison M-O says:

    Hey Mel,
    Found your website, can’t even remember what I was searching for when I got lost in your fab recipes!
    I “wing” most recipes, using the stated ingredients as a guideline. I had 4# of stew meat, so I just used “lots” of the ingredients. This was so tasty!!!!
    Nephew joined us for dinner and said “if you hadn’t told me this was the first time you were making this, I’d of thought this was one of your favorites”. It is now. Can’t wait for leftovers after it’s had time to meld the flavors!
    Served it with crushed cauliflower, with an insane amount of roasted garlic and coconut milk, a modification of your mash recipe. He even like that, and he usually would pass on the cauliflower 🙂
    Thanks for injecting fun into your recipes and honesty. Very much appreciated. Starting the Paleo journey and bringing the love of my life along for the ride!
    Thanks again, can’t wait to download your cookbook.

    • Mel says:

      I love that you made this recipe your own — that’s the most fun part of cooking, right?! And I’m doubly glad that y’all liked it.

      Thank you for the sweet words about my recipes, and congratulations to you for making the switch to paleo! Keep me posted on how you’re doing!

  • Wow! I made this tonight and it is awesome! So tender and flavorful. I also wanted to say that your cookbook is a gem. I just finished day 19 of the whole30 and thanks to your recipes things haven’t gotten boring!!

  • Karen Rawlings-Anderso says:

    I made the version from Well Fed as part of my Sunday cook off to prepare for the week ahead. This is delicious! Being in the middle of a cold , wet, UK autumn this dish was so welcome. Nothing better than a hearty stew with a big pile of root mash! Thanks ( and whole 30 approved if you don’t use wine!)

  • Terrie says:

    Have you ever tried this recipe using pork?

    • Mel says:

      I haven’t, but I suspect it would taste pretty great. Depending on the cut you use, you might need to simmer it a bit longer. I think shoulder might take a little more time — maybe 90-120 minutes.

  • Terrie says:

    Have you ever tried ths in crockpot? If so, would you have to decrase liquids?

  • Rebecca says:

    i’m wonder how different/bad this would taste if omitting the tomato paste for AIP??

  • Sandra says:

    I’m planning on making this tomorrow for supper, but I don’t see the ingredient list for the orange gremolata?

    I have Well Fed 2, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Well Fed. (I ordered them both before Christmas, but Well Fed was sold out.) I’ve made several recipes already, and they’ve all been really yummy! Thanks for all of your hard work and devotion to good healthy food!

    • Mel says:

      Sorry about that! The recipe for the orange gremolata is in the Well Fed cookbook version… I didn’t include it here ’cause I’m lazy 🙂

      I’m really glad you’re enjoying my recipes. Happy cooking to you!

  • Sandra says:

    Also, is it possible to use cinnamon powder instead of sticks?

  • Megan says:

    DELICIOUS. Made this last night with your cauliflower and chive puree. Husband said it was, and I quote, “like something you’d get at a great restaurant.” Can’t wait to make it again. Another satisfied (and Well Fed) customer.

  • Just searched for this on line to forward to a friend – made it tonight out of your cookbook (which I got out of the library to test it out – um, yeah, I’m buying all of ’em!). This stew is DELICIOUS. I love love love the flavors. It was super quick to put together (even quicker b/c I had a package of Trader Joe’s mirepoix in the fridge – onion/celery/carrot pre-chopped – shazam!) and made the kitchen smell heavenly as it cooked down. I used my own beef bone broth. There are leftovers and I’m already thinking that I’m having this for breakfast tomorrow!

    • Mel says:

      I’m really glad you liked it! And yes, it really does smell good, doesn’t it?

      I LOVE eating the leftovers for breakfast with extra veggies. An egg on top is pretty good, too!

  • phyllis lorenz says:

    My friend is making this tomorrow and I offered to bring a salad. Any suggestions? Thanks.

  • Shannon says:

    can’t.stop.eating…so.good. this really makes about two servings… 🙂

  • Alex says:

    This may be the best thing that I have put in my mouth. Didn’t have cinnamon sticks, but I put in a teaspoon on cinnamon instead and it worked out great. But seriously, the gremolata makes it that much more awesome, even when I substituted fresh dill when I didn’t have parsley.

    • Mel says:

      I’m so glad you liked it! And you’re right: the gremolata is like magic. I always feel too lazy to make it, but I’m always glad when I do suck it up and do the chopping 🙂

  • Rebecca says:

    We made this last night, and my husband was speechless. That NEVER happens. We used some venison we already had in the freezer, and did it in our Ninja cooker on the stovetop setting. Had to simmer a little longer because venison. but SO DELICIOUS. We will definitely be doing this again. And yes on that gremolata. DELICOIUS. Absolutely will be making this again, and absolutely sold on your recipes just by this one 🙂

  • Casey says:

    So Im doing my first Whole30 and am having trouble finding grass fed beef- however, I was able to find lamb stew meat that was pastured. So I made this with the lamb (browned in coconut oil) and used Imagine Brand chicken broth in place of the beef broth (can’t find a conjant beef broth). Let me just say that this recipe with the lamb and chicken broth is phenomenal! My house smelled great too! My husband loved it (big deal) and I will he making again and again. Thank you for this!!!

  • Jen says:

    I’m going to sub 1T tamarind paste for the tomato paste to make it AIP friendly. I love both your cookbooks btw, your burger and hot plate formulas have saved my sanity and budget.

  • Kristin says:

    This is hands down the best beef stew recipe I’ve made. My only subs were that I used organic veggie stock instead of beef -my local organic brand had honey in the beef stock and I’m in the midst of a Whole30, so veggie it was- and I added a bunch of chopped of Swiss Chard from my CSA which I had to use up. It was fantastic- the broth has a great flavor and consistency and the beef was tender. Also- picky-eater boyfriend approved! We both ate the leftovers for lunch again today 🙂

  • Florence says:

    Oh my this sounds delish! I’m preparing to start Whole30 soon and will definitely be making this. Thanks so much for all the awesome recipes and paleo information. Your website is fabulous.

  • Suzanne says:

    I made this tonight according to the WF recipe. It took like 2 or 3 hours to get to the right “gravy” consistency. But it was worth the wait! DELICIOUS! Thanks for making my first Whole 30 easier!!!

  • Gianna says:

    I know I’m so late to the party, I just got your cookbook this week. This stew was the first thing I’ve made. The flavor is absolutely delicious. But I had to cook it an extra 30 minutes because it came out so soupy and not like your photo at all. 🙁 I’m not sure what I did wrong. I was going to let it go even longer, but I was worried about the meat getting tough from over-cooking. Any suggestions?

    • Without being in the kitchen with you, it’s impossible to know why yours was more liquid-y than mine. But you can always simmer a stew or soup with the lid off, very low heat, to let the excess moisture evaporate to get it to the thickness you want. You can also skim off the liquid and save it for something else — another soup, to drink on its own on a cold day, etc.

  • Gianna says:

    I did drink the broth and it was glorious! I’m definitely going to make this again, it is my mission to master it! Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I can’t wait to make all your other recipes as well!

  • Lisa says:

    Hi, I want to try this, but have it cook in the oven after stovetop prep. We have a gas stovetop so prefer the oven…

    My question – you stated above:
    f you do the oven version, use 350F oven for 2 hours or so and partially cover the pan with foil so all the liquid doesn’t evaporate.

    So, is there a reason I couldn’t use the lid of my dutch oven, but only partially on? Or will it drip? I am such a novice cook so all advice appreciated!

  • Ashley S says:

    Hey Melissa! Once again, a huge hit! Kicked off my second week with tons of food prep and ended it all with this baby! I had one issue, the stew never thickened. I brought to a boil and simmered for 90 min.:( I added some almond flower and that seemed to do the trick.) Any suggestions?

  • Daffodil says:

    Made this today. Amazing and unexpected flavor combination. I thickened the sauce by blending some of the veg and sauce with my immersion blender. Wish I had some cauliflower rice to go with it.

  • Olga says:

    This recipe is so good! I followed it exactly, but I omitted the sage because I did not have any. It’s one of the better beef stews I’ve made. I had to simmer it for 2 hours to get the gravy-like consistency.

  • Susan Lerner says:

    I don’t like celery. Can I leave it out?

  • Susan Lerner says:

    I have a more general question. What do you do with the left over fresh herbs?

  • Kathy says:

    How have I never seen this recipe before?! Perhaps I was too in love with my own beef stew to even look at it…and boy was I wrong! I made a batch of this today for lunches next week and oh.my.food.heaven! I had to go ahead and eat a bowl NOW!

    I have one of those fancy-schmancy slow cookers that you can start on the stove (but it always dries everything out) that worked perfectly. It simmered away reducing the sauce to an amazing, pour over sweet potato consistency while I finished most of my cooking for the week.

    Thank you for this deliciousness! Looks like I need to take a trip back through the archives 🙂

  • John says:

    Excellent recipe you have here with a little twist to an old favourite. Love Greece and Greek food – enjoy cooking it as much as eating it. I made this and served it with my own take on spicy Greek roast potatoes, a great combination. I can see I’ll have to trawl through your other recipes. 🙂

  • Michelle says:

    I’ve made this recipe twice this week – it’s delicious! I did it in my new pressure cooker I got for xmas so it gets to fall-apart-tender in like 35 minutes. Then I just simmer it to let it thicken up a bit, but in the mean time I get to steal little bits of meat from the pot 🙂
    This one is definitely a keeper.

  • kristin says:

    Amazing. Just amazing. Your recipes seem to taste like they take way more effort than they do. Easy to find ingredients, delicious results. Thank you!!!

  • Erica says:

    This is so delicious! I am on my first whole 30 and it was a goal of mine to learn how to give food great flavor without using dairy as a crutch and your recipes are doing just that! Everything that I’ve made from your recipes have such great depth of flavor and I think I could’ve eaten the entire pot of this amazing stew all by myself! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!

  • Valerie says:

    My husband and I are starting Whole 30 today. I stumbled across your blog a few days ago and I’ve been camped out on it ever since! I have this stew cooking on the stove right now and it smells AMAZING! I can’t wait to try it!

  • Susan says:

    I made this recipe for my brother’s very small wedding. Made it the day before and then reheated it while the wedding took place. Everyone loved it!

  • Michele says:

    Oh my word, this stew is amazing! My husband and I loved it! I made it a little soupy and served over zucchini noodles and we ate it for dinner, lunch, and dinner again! I will totally be making this again and again!

  • Denise says:

    Hi Mel-
    I have both of your books and they have been my bible ever since I did my first whole 30 last January. I can’t thank you enough for actually teaching me how to cook in a way that allows me to always have something healthy and delicious close by. This recipe is a favorite of mine but sometimes the meat will come out more tender than other times or within the same batch of stew. What could I be doing wrong? I don’t crowd the pan and I take my time with the searing process. Not sure where I’m going wrong?

    • Without being in the kitchen with you while you’re cooking, there’s no way for me to know what might the issue might be for sure, but I suspect it’s just the meat itself. I, too, sometimes find super tender pieces and less-tender pieces in a stew — and different pieces of meat have differing amounts of fat, which will ultimately affect how tender they are. If the meat is lean, it will be less tender after a long cook. Are you using a nice marbled cut like beef chuck?

  • Denise says:

    Thanks for the answer but I’m using chuck. It’s nice to know this happens to you at times in the same stew. I always considered cooking it longer but I don’t want to ruin it or over cook it. Even the tougher pieces are still delicious I have to admit. 🙂

  • Ryan says:

    So so so so so good. Flavor upon flavor upon flavor.

  • Trisha says:

    Can you do this in the crock pot? Do you just dump and go? Thanks! Ps. I’ve made this numerous times and it is ah-mazing!!

  • Samantha says:

    I made this last night and accidentally added the whole 6 oz can of tomato paste and it was still DELICIOUS!! I’ll have to try it again with the right recipe!

  • Jessica says:

    Is there a specific brand of rose water that you recommend? Or do you make your own?

  • Robin says:

    Made this today and, hands down, it’s the most flavorful stew I’ve ever eaten. Absolutely delicious!

  • Maggie says:

    I have made this >10 times on the stove. It’s one of our favorites. Today I made in the instant pot and my husband said it’s “way better.” I reduced liquid to 1.5 cups of broth. I did meat for 20 min on stew/meat setting, then allowed natural release. Then added cut up carrot and green beans (not in the recipe) and did those on high for 7 min. Would prob reduce meat cook to 15 min next time.

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