Stifado or Stifatho is a Greek stew dish. Warm, filling and satisfying. Usually made with meat - and I have a delicious version with beef - this one is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Full of immune-boosting mushrooms, nourishing and so tasty!
Ingredients
30g dried porcini mushrooms
500g shallots
4 tbsp olive oil
800g mushrooms, a mixture is good eg chestnut, oyster, shitake but any you fancy
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Glass red wine
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp crushed cloves
2 tsp grated nutmeg
4 whole cloves
2 tsp peppercorns
3 bay leaves
75g Kalamata black olives, pitted
2 tsp honey
Handful of chopped parsley
Ingredients for the Stifado
Chopped mushrooms and finely chopped garlic, ready to cook
Method
Soak the dried porcini in 300ml hot water for 1 hour
Add the shallots to a pan of boiling water and leave for a few minutes – this will make it easier to peel them
Drain the water from the shallots and when cool enough to handle peel the skins
Add the peeled shallots to a large pan with a tbsp of the olive oil, over a low heat let the onions soften for about 20 minutes. You’ll need to keep stirring so they don’t burn
Meanwhile wipe the fresh mushrooms clean with a damp cloth to remove any earth, don’t wash them or they’ll go soggy!
Roughly chop the mushrooms and add to a casserole or heavy based pan with the rest of the olive oil and garlic, cook over a medium heat until the mushrooms are softened
Add the onions and the wine and turn up the heat, reduce the wine by half
Add the porcini and soaking liquid to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, red wine vinegar, spices and bay leaves
Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour or so until the liquid is lovely and thick. If it starts to dry out, add a little more water and cover for remaining time.
Add the chopped olives and honey and season
Sprinkle with parsley to serve
Delicious with mashed potatoes, or mashed celeriac (some horseradish or mustard in the mash makes it even tastier!) and some greens.
Mushroom Facts
Mushrooms are nutritious and a great source of fibre. The nutritional benefits of mushrooms vary depending on the variety but they all provide antioxidants including glutathione and ergotheonine and the mineral selenium; B vitamins especially riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) and pantothenic acid (B5); copper, a mineral to help your body make red blood cells and for bone and nerve health; and, potassium, which is important for heart, nerve and muscle function.
Some mushrooms like shiitake and oyster provide beta-glucan, a form of fibre that is beneficial for cardiovascular health AND they have powerful immune-boosting properties.
