Greek cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Moschari Kokkinisto

Beef cubes braise for hours in tomatoes, red wine, and cinnamon into a thick, deep red sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 kg beef shoulder
• 3 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 200 ml red wine
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the beef shoulder into 4 cm cubes, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper; cut the onions into half-rings.
2. Sear the meat in batches in hot olive oil on all sides until dark brown, then remove – never add too much at once, or it will release water.
3. Braise the onions in the frying fat for 8 min. until soft, add the chopped garlic and tomato paste, and fry for 2 min. until the paste smells deep and fragrant.
4. Deglaze with the red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, and let the wine reduce uncovered for 3 min.
5. Return the meat to the pot, add the chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, and sugar, barely cover with water, and braise covered for 1.5–2 hours until the beef falls apart.
6. Remove the cinnamon, bay leaves, and cloves, reduce the sauce uncovered for 10 min. until thick, and serve with kritharaki pasta or mashed potatoes.