AI-generated image
Kouneli stifado
Kouneli stifado: rabbit braised with whole shallots, red wine, tomato and warm spices
Rabbit is a favourite winter Sunday dish in Crete and across the Greek countryside, and stifado is the way most cooks prepare it: jointed rabbit simmered slowly with a mountain of small whole onions in a glossy, sweet-sour sauce of tomato, red wine and vinegar, scented with cinnamon, allspice and bay. The sauce reduces until the onions are soft and jammy, and it is served with fried potatoes or rice and bread to wipe the plate. This recipe uses red wine; for an alcohol-free version use red grape juice with an extra spoon of vinegar. Common mistake: stirring once the onions go in, which breaks them up; shake the pot instead. Chef's tip: peel the shallots more easily by soaking them in boiling water for 5 minutes first.
- Total time
- 140 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Pat 3 ⅛ lb rabbit dry. Heat half of 3 ½ tbsp olive oil in a wide, heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the pieces well on all sides in two batches. Lift onto a plate.
12 minStep 2: Add the rest of 3 ½ tbsp olive oil and the whole 1 ¾ lb small shallots or pickling onions and 4 cloves garlic. Fry over a medium heat, shaking the pan, until the onions are golden all over.
8 minStep 3: Return the rabbit, pour in ¾ cup red wine and 3 tbsp red wine vinegar and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes, until the sharp smell softens.
3 minStep 4: Stir 2 tbsp tomato paste into 1 ¼ cups hot water and add with 14 oz grated fresh tomatoes or passata, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 allspice berries, 2 bay leaves, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. The liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up the meat.
Step 5: Cover and simmer over a low heat for 1½ hours, shaking the pot now and then rather than stirring. The rabbit is done when the meat comes away from the bone easily and reaches at least 160°F.
90 minStep 6: Uncover for the last 10 minutes if the sauce is thin; it should be thick and glossy, coating the onions.
10 minStep 7: Remove the cinnamon and bay and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kouneli stifado take?
- About 140 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of small shallots or pickling onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean