Greek cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Moschari sti Gastra

Beef with vegetables cooked for hours in a covered pot until it falls apart butter-tender in its own juices.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 1.5 kg beef (shoulder, whole piece)
• 800 g small waxy potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 3 onions
• 1 head garlic
• 250 ml red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Take the meat out of the fridge 1 hr. beforehand, pat dry and rub generously all over with salt and pepper; wash the potatoes, peel the carrots and cut into thick pieces, quarter the onions.
2. Heat the olive oil strongly in a heavy pot with lid and sear the piece of meat all over for a total of 10 min. until dark brown, then remove.
3. Fry the onions and carrots in the drippings for 6 min., roast the tomato paste for 1 min. and deglaze with the red wine until reduced by half.
4. Return the meat, add the bay leaves, rosemary and the garlic head halved crosswise, pour in 200 ml water and seal the pot tightly.
5. Cook in the oven at 150°C top/bottom heat for 2 hrs., adding the potatoes in between after 1 hr. — otherwise keep the lid closed so no steam escapes.
6. Let the roast rest in the closed pot for 15 min., then cut into thick slices and serve with the vegetables and the braising liquid.