Beef Stifado

Serves 4
WW (UK) points: 4 per serving

If you're not dieting and you prefer a thicker gravy then you can toss the beef cubes with seasoned flour before frying. Feel free to use as much olive oil as you need to brown the beef--I've been pretty stingy to keep the fat levels down. Also, slosh in half a bottle of wine or more and drink the rest!

1 teaspoon olive oil
500g beef stewing steak, cut into 2" chunks
1 large onion, chopped roughly
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
400g tin of peeled, chopped tomatoes
500ml beef stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
125ml dry red wine
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
500g pack shallots, peeled and root broken off
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish--I use a huge Le Creuset cocotte--over medium-high heat and brown the beef in small batches, ensuring that each side of the cubes get properly browned and crusty. By the time you're done, there should be a heavy brown patina on the base of the pan.

Turn the heat to low and saute the chopped onion, stirring well to dislodge some of the burnt on bits. When onion is translucent add the garlic and oregano and cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Return the beef to the dish, pour in the red wine and stir furiously to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the shallots.

Bring up to the boil and put the lid on. Now, you can opt to cook the stifado on the stove using the lowest flame possible or in the oven at 170C (150C in a fan oven.) Either way, it'll take at least three hours. Give it a stir from time to time.

Once the time is up, toss in the peeled shallots and cook for a further hour. If the sauce is too thin for your liking then leave the casserole partially uncovered for the last half an hour. Taste and adjust seasoning. I often add some extra oregano at the end to make sure that each bite of stew has both the heady top-notes and the mellow flavour of long-cooked oregano.

Serve with rosemary roast potatoes or mashed potatoes. Roasted garlic mash is a particularly good partner for the stifado