Chestnuts have a beautiful shiny brown outer layer that reminds me of cold winter days, nights. Mainly, all I want to do is sit in front of a fireplace (I don’t have one) with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. Just think about it for a second what is the first thing that comes to mind when you see chestnuts?
When it’s cold outside we crave comfort food which is quite often hot soup or a hearty bowl of stew. In most stew recipes the ingredients consist of meat, potatoes, carrots, and even celery. In this stew recipe, you won’t find any of these ingredients I mentioned but you will find Chestnuts. If you’ve been to Greece then you would most likely have heard of the Greek Dish Stifado. The original Greek recipe consists of meat either Beef or Chicken and some other types which I will not mention.
This is a rich, delicious, Vegetarian Stew made with pearl onions that have been braised with dry white wine. Others like to braise the onions with red wine. I have tried both red and white and I think white is better for my taste buds. If you prefer cooking with red wine, you can do so. The added cinnamon and allspice also give a sense of warmth, coziness, and yumminess to your tummy. hahaha
I just want to mention that this recipe is the main course in my Greek Valentine’s Day Menu!
Have a great day everyone!!
Chestnut Stew - Stifado Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams chestnuts canned chestnuts
- 600 grams pearl onions
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
- 6 pieces allspice
- 1 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp tomato sauce
- salt - pepper
- 2 garlic cloves optional
Instructions
- Add olive oil and pearl onions into a large pot. Stir consistently
- Add the rest of the remaining ingredients along with the chestnuts and cover with water.
- Add-in tomato sauce
- Boil for 40 to 50 minutes or until the sauce thickens and pearl onions are tender.
KALI SAS OREXI!! 🙂
I haven’t heard of this before, but it certainly looks delicious!
Hi, Thank you so very much!! It’s a great twist to a traditional Greek recipe. 🙂
Chestnuts are not something we use/see a lot in the states, this is so unique to me😊😋
Sooo sorry for my late response Dee…If you find any Greek or Italian Deli’s in your area you will definitely find Chestnuts. My mom used to buy them in a Greek Deli in NYC. 🙂