Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2012

Cooked this in a slow cooker instead of in the oven and had fantastic results. I followed the recipe exactly (using the whole cloves indicated in the directions instead of the ground indicated in the ingredients list.) The only thing I would caution is that when the directions say "salt to taste" what it really means is bring out the big-guns, this dish needs some salt! I have a tendency to under-salt my dishes and don't usually miss it, but despite adding probably a teaspoon and a half of salt to the dish, even I found myself salting my table serving. (ask my hubs you will nearly NEVER see me salting my dish). Other than underestimating how much salt was really needed in this dish, it was simple, quick to assemble, and delicious. We served ours over spaghetti and enjoyed it that way.

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Reviewer:

LMVO

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Encinitas, California, USA

Living In: Mesa, Arizona, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2011

I followed the suggestions and used about half the red wine vinegar, and since I didn't have cinnamon sticks I just used a ground. It still came out too sweet, yet bland. If I do this recipe again, I'll definately salt the meat while I'm browning it and leave out the cinnamon entirely. And, I won't bake it soo long. Some people like meat that falls apart in your mouth, I like a little bit of chew to it. I served this over a bed of rice. Maybe the sweetness could be countered with a salty flavored rice.

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Reviewer:

natalie

Reviewed: Dec. 12, 2010

WOW, this has some awesome flavor combinations, though I did make some minor changes based on other reviewers' comments. I was a bit leary of too much wine vinegar and how that would taste so I only used 1/2 cup of that, less brown sugar (also around 1/2), and whole cloves instead of ground. Even though these changes, I still think it deserves a high rating and we very much enjoyed this meal. Thanks for a great post ProfPam!

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Reviewer:

LindaK

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Rapid City, South Dakota, USA

Living In: Raeford, North Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 26, 2009

We are not Greek but decided to have Greek foods for Christmas dinner this year. This recipe was the hit! It was wonderfully rich. I didn't change a thing in the recipe. Thanks!

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Reviewer:

Penny

Reviewed: Oct. 10, 2006

this was a wonderful and flavorful alternative to the norm beef stew....the whole family enjoyed it... the only change i made was to add potatoes... i liked the flavor the red wine vinegar added...and having greek heritage, its nice to finally have a good greek recipe!

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Reviewer:

SMDAILEY

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Tampa, Florida, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2006

I thought this was good but my husband didn't really like the clover and cinnamon flavour of which I only added what was in the recipe. My daughter ate it but she didn't rave about it so I may try it next time without the clove and cinnamon. Will keep you posted.

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Reviewer:

main

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Reviewed: Mar. 13, 2006

When I make this, my kids go nuts... they know it's coming because it does make the house smell fantastic! My husband really enjoys it too.

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Reviewer:

pammieo

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2004

Absolutely wonderful. Was looking for a different kind of Greek dish when I found this. Very easy to fix and fills the house with some fantastic smells!

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Reviewer:

TPFEISEL

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Living In: Lancaster, Ohio, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2004

Very interesting, will try this tomorrow. The brown sugar is a new one on me. The recipe is usually spelled 'stifado' in Greek cookery books, and originates in Corfu, I think, where there is a strong Italian influence (the name comes from the Italian 'stufato', which simply means 'stewed'.

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Reviewer:

JOHNDG43

Reviewed: May 19, 2003

I thought this recipe had a great, rich flavor with a bit of tang from the vinegar. I used a large oven-proof frypan with a tight fitting lid, went right from stove to oven. The recipe says "wine vinegar" - I assumed this was red wine vinegar and it came out fine. Also the recipe calls for 1/4 tsp ground cloves but the instructions refer to "whole cloves" only. I scattered 6 whole cloves over the mix just before putting it in the oven. We ate it straight like a stew, but it would be super over pasta or, if you are really hungry, mashed potatoes! Great reheated the next day.

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