December 23, 2020
Entree / Greek Food / Greek Recipes / One Pot Meals / Recipes / Side Dish / Vegan / Vegetarian
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Chestnut Stifado is one of the easiest festive recipes you can cook right now!
Stifado is a traditional Greek braise that features pearl onions usually in equal quantities to the amount of meat that is being braised with them. The first time I ever ate stifado was in my family’s village on the island of Crete. They harvested a rabbit for my birthday and braised it with pearl onions and aromatic spices.⠀
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However, this recipe is a different take. If you’re lucky enough to be on Crete in the cooler months, you may come across Chestnut Stifado. Like in the traditional meat stew, cooks braise chestnuts with pearl onions. The result is an intoxicating tomato sauce laced with cinnamon and cloves. This recipe is delicous to eat on its own, over some rice, mashed potatoes or winter squash, or noodles.
To me Chestnut Stifado is the perfect holiday side dish with its festive flavors and ingredients. It will also impress all your guests with special diets as it’s vegetarian/vegan/gluten free.⠀I call that a win-win for easy entertaining.
A note on ingredients
People use vinegar most traditionally as the acidic component in stifado recipes. But in this case you could use a fruity red wine if you have some on hand, or even a mixture of both to your taste.
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What made this dish so easy was using chestnuts fromMelissa’s Produce that were already peeled, steamed, and vacuum sealed, so they’re super fresh right out of the package. (Trader Joe’s also carries these.) I also loved Melissa’s assorted pearl onions that I blanched ahead of time to make peeling a breeze.⠀
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Starting off the dish with a fruity extra virgin olive oil is also key. For this recipe, I used Garcia de la Cruz extra virgin olive oil. You can find it in the U.S. at most Whole Foods stores.
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Thanks to Melissa’s Produce and Garcia de la Cruz Olive Oil for the ingredients!⠀
Chestnut Stifado Recipe (Kastana Stifado) - Braised Chestnuts with Pearl Onions
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Category Entree Greek Food Greek Recipes One Pot Meals Recipes Side Dish Vegan Vegetarian
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Stifado is a traditional Greek braise that features pearl onions usually in equal quantities to the amount of meat that is being braised with them. But this recipe is a different take, braising chestnuts with pearl onions. The result is an intoxicating tomato sauce laced with cinnamon and cloves. This recipe is delicous to eat on its own, over some rice, mashed potatoes or winter squash, or noodles. It's also vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound chestnuts, boiled/peeled ⠀
- 1 pound pearl onions⠀
- 1 red onion, sliced⠀
- 2 ounces fruity extra virgin olive oil⠀
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped⠀
- 1 bay leaf⠀
- 1 stick cinnamon⠀
- 4 cloves⠀
- 7 ounces tomato puree⠀
- 3 ounces wine (light/fruity) or red wine vinegar⠀
- 2 tablespoons honey or grape molases
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and cook for for 5-7 minutes, until they get some color on them. Add garlic.⠀
- Add the chestnuts and stir to combine. Continue to sauté for 2-3 more minutes.⠀
- Once everything is aromatic, add the wine and honey. cook until the alcohol burns off, about 2 minutes. ⠀
- Stir in the tomato puree. Then add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves. Stir to combine all ingredients. ⠀
- Bring ingredients to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
Notes
Serves 3 as a main or 6 as a side.
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©2024 © Christina Xenos
Nutrition Facts
Chestnut Stifado Recipe (Kastana Stifado) - Braised Chestnuts with Pearl Onions
Serves: 3-6
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 541.89 kcal | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 20.76 g | 30.8% | |
| Saturated Fat 3.0 g | 15% | |
| Trans Fat 0.0 g | ||
| Cholesterol 0.0 mg | 0% | |
| Sodium 137.25 mg | 5.7% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 86.18 g | 28.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 5.19 g | 20% | |
| Sugars 22.63 g | ||
| Protein 5.3 g | ||
| Vitamin A 1.02 % | Vitamin C 74.34 % | |
| Calcium 10.64 % | Iron 15.77 % | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Sweet Greek Personal Chef and Culinary Services Los Angeles, CA
