Kokkinisto-Greek Braised Beef In Red Sauce is an authentic traditional recipe you will love. Melt-in-your-mouth beef is slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce with extra virgin olive oil, herbs, onion, and garlic. Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice or french fries for an unforgettable meal!
If you love this Kokkinisto-Greek Braised Beef In Red Sauce, you will also love, Braised Greek Chicken In Tomato Sauce, Stifado–Greek Red Wine Beef Stew or Pork Stew With Chickpeas!
Why this recipe sings
If you’re looking for an authentic and delicious meal, you should definitely try our kokkinisto-Greek braised beef in red sauce. The beef comes out very tender and delicious, and the bright red, flavorful sauce is worthy of wild bread dipping.
This recipe is budget-friendly and has few ingredients. The best meat to use is chuck, which is one of the most economical cuts of beef.
Kokkinisto is one of the classic Greek recipes with variations cooked all over Greece. You can serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or even french fries for a truly unforgettable meal!
Here is what you need
- Beef chuck roast. Cut into 5 cm /2-inch pieces.
- Onion and garlic.
- Ripe tomatoes. Peeled and chopped
- Broth. It can be chicken, beef, or vegetable.
- Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and whole allspice.
- Fresh oregano sprigs. If unavailable for dried oregano instead.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Fresh spearmint leaves. For serving. Optional.
- Sea salt and chili flakes. The flakes are optional. I use them in almost all my recipes for a little kick.
How to make it
For best results, the meat must be at room temperature.
Blot the beef pieces with a paper towel to completely dry them and season with sea salt.
In a wide and heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil.
Sear the meat in batches until it is well browned on all sides, forming a crust.
Transfer the browned pieces with a slotted spoon to a plate.
Add the diced onions to the pot, season with a pinch of sea salt, and sauté, scrubbing the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the delicious fond (burnt remains from the meat) for 5 minutes, on medium heat, until they turn golden.
Add the diced garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and allspice and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir and cook for 10 minutes.
Transfer the meat back with the juices accumulated on the plate. Add the broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover the pot and simmer for 2½ hours. You want the sauce to simmer gently, with a few bubbles on its surface.
Uncover and taste the meat. It should be tender and easy to shred with a fork. Remove from the heat, add the mint and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Let the kokkinisto rest for 10 minutes and serve.
How to serve it
Here, kokkinisto is served with crispy fries, and crusty bread. It goes well with orzo, rice or pasta like tagliatelle. Sprinkle feta of lots of parmesan and enjoy!
Other suitable sides are a traditional Greek tomato salad (add a few capers for some salty note), potato fritters with feta, and rosemary potatoes with parmesan.
Use the leftovers to make Greek loaded fries. Trust me you will love them!
Helpful tips and tricks
- When tomatoes are not in season, I prefer canned authentic San Marzano D.O.P. whole tomatoes. I crush them with my hands and place them and all their liquids in the sauce.
- Use tomato paste and regular canned chopped tomatoes like Cento for a more budget-friendly option. The trick is to add a tablespoon of the paste while you saute the onions and garlic. It will deepen and bring out the flavor of ordinary canned tomatoes. Next, add the tomatoes, let the sauce cook for ten minutes, then taste to check if it’s too acidic. If that is the case, add half a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce and stir.
- If there is a lot of liquid in the pot after cooking, remove the beef pieces and simmer the red sauce for 10 to 20 minutes to reduce it.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, sprinkle it with some flour and stir vigorously. Cook for a few minutes while stirring. The flour will thicken the sauce. Please don’t overdo it. Add a tiny bit of flour at a time until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
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Kokkinisto-Greek Braised Beef In Red Sauce
Equipment
- large heavy bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck roast cut into pieces for stew
- 1½ cups onions diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 cup stock chicken, beef, or vegetable
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 fresh oregano sprigs
- 2-3 all spice whole
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
For serving
- fresh mint leaves
- chili flakes
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- For best results, the meat must be at room temperature.Blot it with a paper towel, to completely dry it.Season with sea salt.
- In a wide and heavy bottom pot heat the olive oil.Over high heat sear the meat, in batches, until it is well browned on all sides, forming a crust.Transfer the browned pieces with a slotted spoon to a plate.
- Add the diced onions to the pot, season with a pinch of sea salt and sauté, scrubbing the bottom with a wooden spoon to release the delicious fond (burnt remains from the meat). Saute onions for 5 minutes, on medium heat, until they turn golden.
- Add the diced garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and allspice, and saute for 2-3 minutes.Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and stir. Cook for 10 minutes. Transfer the meat back with the juices accumulated on the plate. Add the broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 2½ hours.You want the sauce to simmer gently, with a few bubbles on its surface.
- Uncover and taste the meat. It should be tender and easy to shred with a fork.Remove from the heat, add some spearmint leaves and season to taste with sea salt. Add some chili flakes if you like.Let the kokkinisto rest for 10 minutes and serve with fried potatoes and a tomato salad.
Notes
- When tomatoes are not in season, I prefer canned authentic San Marzano D.O.P. whole tomatoes. I crush them with my hands and place them and all their liquids in the sauce.
- Use tomato paste and regular canned chopped tomatoes like Cento for a more budget-friendly option. The trick is to add a tablespoon of the paste while you saute the onions and garlic. It will deepen and bring out the flavor of ordinary canned tomatoes. Next, add the tomatoes, let the sauce cook for ten minutes, then taste to check if it’s too acidic. If that is the case, add half a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce and stir.
- If there is a lot of liquid in the pot after cooking, remove the beef pieces and simmer the red sauce for 10 to 20 minutes to reduce it.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, sprinkle it with some flour and stir vigorously. Cook for a few minutes while stirring. The flour will thicken the sauce. Please don’t overdo it. Add a tiny bit of flour at a time until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency.
- Substitute whole allspice with one teaspoon ground allspice. If unavailable, use ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves.
Nutrition
