Greek Lamb Stifado
A slow-simmered Peloponnesian lamb stew with pearl onions, red wine, cinnamon, and tomato — sweet, deep, and built for cold-weather Sundays.
Cuisine: Mediterranean (Peloponnese, Greece) · Style: One Pot · Protein: Mutton · Total time: · Difficulty: medium · Servings: 4 · Spice: 1/5
Ingredients
- 800g lamb shoulder, cut into 4cm chunks
- 500g pearl onions or shallots, peeled
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 400g tinned tomatoes, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup beef or lamb stock
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Crumbled feta and parsley to serve
Steps
- Pat the lamb dry, season with salt and pepper. Brown in batches in olive oil until deeply coloured. Set aside.
- In the same pot, soften the pearl onions whole until lightly golden. Add the smashed garlic for the last minute.
- Tip in the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Toast for 30 seconds.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up the fond.
- Return the lamb. Add tinned tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, stock, and rosemary. Salt to taste.
- Cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 90 minutes, or transfer to a 160°C oven, until the lamb falls apart and the sauce is glossy.
- Adjust seasoning. Rest off heat for 10 minutes — the dish improves as it sits.
- Serve in deep bowls with crumbled feta, parsley, and crusty bread.