Jamie Oliver’s beef brisket with red wine and shallots is his take on the traditional Greek stifado, or stew, which is usually served with diced beef instead.
He shared the recipe on his official website, where it states it’s “not too tricky” to make and makes eight servings.
This classic, cold-weather recipe is sure to become a family favourite, with its delicious aroma and flavourful red wine and shallots sauce.
About this dish, the chef said: “This stew is a version of the Greek favourite stifado. Normally the Greeks use diced beef for stifado, but whole briskets seem to work well, too.
“Brisket is one of the cheapest cuts you can buy, but this recipe transforms it into something very special!”
Ingredients
12 shallots
Six cloves of garlic
Two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5kg brisket of beef, rolled and tied
One whole nutmeg, for grating
One 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
Two tablespoons tomato purée
250ml red wine
Two fresh bay leaves
One stick of cinnamon
One small handful of black olives
One teaspoon dried oregano
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Two tablespoons red wine vinegar
Method
Peel the shallots and garlic cloves. In a pressure cooker or a heavy-based casserole, heat some oil. Add the beef and sear it for a few minutes on each side until it’s golden brown all over, then remove it and set aside.
Next, toss the whole shallots and garlic into the pan, cooking them for about 10 minutes until they begin to soften and colour.
Grate in roughly a quarter of the nutmeg, then add all the other ingredients except for the beef brisket.
Fill the empty tomato can halfway with water and pour that in as well. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper, then gently stir until the mixture is hot and starts to thicken.
Return the beef to the pan, cover it with a lid, and ensure the valve is closed. Cook on a low heat for one hour and 15 minutes if using a pressure cooker, or two hours if not.
Once the cooking time is up, release the valve and wait for the steam to dissipate before removing the lid. Allow the beef to rest for 10 minutes. It should easily shred apart with two forks; if it doesn’t, you can continue cooking it for a bit longer.
Finally, stir the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. Shred or slice the beef, and serve it topped with the rich sauce.
