Corfiot Stifado
Corfiot stifado is worth distinguishing from the better-known Greek pearl-onion stew. An Ionian University account of traditional Corfiot cooking describes beef marinated overnight with wine, onion, garlic, carrot, celery and a remarkable mixture of herbs, then slowly cooked with smoked pork and served with polenta.
A slow-cooked Corfiot beef stew traditionally marinated with wine, onion, garlic, herbs and aromatics and cooked for many hours.
Prep Time
30 minutes plus overnight marinating
Cooking Time
3 hours
Serves
6
Difficulty
Moderate
Dietary Tags
Meat, Gluten Free
true
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg stewing beef, cut into large pieces
- 500 ml dry red wine
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 sage leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 bay leaves
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 100 g pancetta or smoked bacon, finely diced
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Soft polenta, to serve
Method
- The night before cooking, combine the beef with the wine, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram, bay, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, lift the beef from the marinade and pat it dry. Reserve all the marinade and vegetables.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole. Cook the pancetta until it releases its fat, then brown the beef thoroughly in batches.
- Add the reserved vegetables and cook for several minutes.
- Pour in the wine marinade, add the sugar and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beef is exceptionally tender. Add a little water only if the pan becomes dry.
- Uncover towards the end if the sauce needs reducing. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve over soft polenta, spooning over the aromatic cooking juices.
Recipe Tips
- Marinating overnight is part of the documented Corfiot method rather than an optional shortcut.
- Use smoked pancetta or bacon sparingly: it should deepen the stew rather than dominate it.
- This is intentionally not the familiar pearl-onion stifado found elsewhere in Greece.
- Slow, gentle cooking best recreates the traditional 'stua' method described in Corfiot sources.
What to Serve With
Serve the Corfiot way with soft polenta. A simple bitter-leaf salad makes a good contrast to the rich beef.
Where to Try It in Corfu
This older Corfiot preparation is less commonly encountered on modern restaurant menus than pastitsada, sofrito or bourdeto. We have not yet identified a current restaurant version that closely matches the documented wine-marinated, herb-rich Corfiot preparation served with polenta, so we are keeping this recommendation open until we can verify one.
Recipe Story / Corfu Connection
Documented accounts of traditional Corfiot cooking describe stifado being cooked in a tightly closed pot on the stua, a small stove beside the fireplace, for many hours or even overnight. Beef was first marinated in wine, vegetables and herbs, then cooked with olive oil and smoked pork and eaten with polenta. This gives the Corfiot preparation a distinct identity from the pearl-onion stifado now better known internationally.