Giouvetsi

Elenas shares with you another delicious Greek recipe!

“ Giouvetsi ”, refers to the traditional Greek dish made with beef, orzo pasta (“kritharaki” or “manestra” in Greek) and a delicious tomato sauce.

A perfect choice for a Sunday dish for the whole family!

This Greek dish can also be made with chicken or lamb.

Preparation time: 15 min
Preparation time: 140 min (approx.)
Servings: 5-6 servings (normal size dish)

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into small pieces
• 1,200g beef, cut into 2cm cubes
• 150 ml red wine
• 2-3 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• a can of Pummaro chopped tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 3-4 pieces of any kind
• salt and pepper
• 500 g Misko Risoni/Kritharaki medium
• 1.5 liters of water
• lemon zest for serving (optional)
• Dodoni feta cheese for serving

Preparation:

This traditional Greek dish only takes 7 steps to make and they are:

1. Start by browning the meat in a hot pan with olive oil, about 5 minutes. on every side. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
   
   
2. Continue by adding the onions and saute until caramelised. Add the carrots, stir and sauté for 2 minutes. Finally, add garlic and stir everything together.
   
   
3. Pour in the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
   
   
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, all the spices and stir thoroughly. Add enough water (not what is in the recipe, it will be used later) to just cover the meat. Simmer for an hour and a half, or until the meat is tender and cooked through. Stir every now and then and add extra water if the sauce is getting dry.
   
   Tip: Giouvetsi needs to be well seasoned, so feel free to add a good amount of salt and pepper if necessary.
   Tip: allspice gives a characteristic taste of traditional giouvetsi, but remember that you cannot eat this spice! Won't harm you, just doesn't taste good!
   
   
5. Meanwhile, heat another pan, add the olive oil and the orzo and fry for 3-4 minutes until it starts to turn golden.
   
   Tip: This extra step makes your orzo pasta a little firmer when you cook it together with the sauce.
   Tip: You can skip this step if you prefer a slightly more 'overcooked' orzo.
   
   
6. Preheat your oven to 180 C.
   
   
7. As soon as the meat is ready, pour the pasta into a dish together with the meat/sauce and stir. Add the water from the recipe and cook for approximately 45 minutes.
   
   Tip: Stir the dish halfway through to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom. Add extra water if necessary.

Serve with some Dodoni feta cheese on top and a homemade Greek tzatziki !

Kali oreksi/ Welcome!