Equipment
Ingredients
For the Stifado
- 600 g onion, whole, peeled
- 50 ml olive oil
- 4 garlic, finely sliced
- 6 g allspice, ground
- 1000 g mushrooms, trimmed and wiped clean
- 12 g thyme, leaves only
- 3 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon, stick
- 200 ml red wine
- 200 ml passata
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 5 g sea salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
For the Bulgur Wheat Pilaf
- 45 ml olive oil
- 200 g onion, finely sliced
- 150 g rice noodles
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- 1 cinnamon, stick
- 200 g bulgur
- 3 g sea salt
- 1 g black pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 770 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbohydrates
- 113 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fiber
- 21 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 1618 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 18 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Potassium
- 1865 mg
- Calcium
- 267 mg
- Iron
- 34.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 183 mg
- Phosphorus
- 800 mg
- Zinc
- 7.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 42 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 27 mg
- Vitamin D
- 12.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 4.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 21 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.0 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.50 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.71 mg
- Niacin
- 9.6 mg
- Folate
- 85 mcg
- Water
- 707 g
- Alcohol
- 5 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Boil a large pan of water, then remove from heat. Submerge the baby onions for 2 minutes, drain, and peel them while keeping the bulbs whole.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6).
Warm olive oil in a casserole dish over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ground allspice and cook for another 5 minutes until golden.
Incorporate the mushrooms and thyme into the dish, seasoning with salt and pepper. Fry for 5 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms brown and release their liquid.
Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and red wine. Raise the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Stir in the passata and red wine vinegar and bring to a boil. Cover the dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, removing the lid for the final 15 minutes of cooking.
While the stew is in the oven, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions with salt and pepper and fry for 5 minutes.
Increase the heat and add the rice noodles. Stir for 2-3 minutes until they begin to brown, then add the vegetable stock and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.
Stir in the bulgur wheat and season. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer for 8 minutes.
Remove the pilaf from the heat. Place a tea towel over the pan, secure the lid on top, and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Serve the mushroom stifado hot with the bulgur wheat pilaf on the side.
Chef's Notes
- Using a variety of mushrooms like cremini, oyster, and shiitake adds depth to the stifado texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Mushrooms may become slightly softer upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, adding a splash of water to the pilaf if dry.
Troubleshooting
Pilaf is soggy or gummy
Cause: Excess moisture trapped in the pan after cooking
Fix: Spread the pilaf on a baking sheet and dry in a warm oven for 5 minutes.
Prevention: Ensure the heat is low during simmering and do not skip the tea towel resting step.
Onions are falling apart
Cause: Blanched for too long or stirred too vigorously
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the flavor remains unaffected.
Prevention: Stick strictly to the 2-minute blanching time and stir the stew gently.
Cultural Context
Stifado is a traditional Greek stew characterized by the use of many small onions and warm spices like allspice and cinnamon.
