Which better dish to try on a cold winter’s day? Nothing better that a Greek Veal Stew with Tomato Sauce. It is traditionally known as ‘Kokkinisto’ in Greece due to its rich red tomato sauce.
The secrets to the perfect Greek Veal Stew with Tomato Sauce recipe (Kokkinisto)
After years of experimenting to make the perfect kokkinisto, I’ve discovered the following secrets that really make it stand out. The first one being its spices. My favourite spices to use with this recipe are sweet paprika, all-spice and black pepper. What I love about paprika is that it gives this stew a deliciously rich but also sweet flavour. Just be careful to buy the right kind of paprika though, the recipe requires sweet paprika and not the spicy or smoked ones. All-spice works really well with red meat as it gives it a sweet aromatic flavour . All-spice closely resembles a mix of cloves, nutmeg and cinammon. Use all-spice in your stew but do remember to remove it at the end of the stew.
The secret to making this Greek Veal Stew with Tomato Sauce ( Kokkinisto) is to add the spices the right time and cook them the right way. Start the stew by preparing the onions. The secret to getting most of the sweetness out of the onions is to chop them finely and sautee them in pre-heated olive oil for a few minutes at medium heat. Once they start turning translucent, reduce the heat to low and allow them to caramelise for about 5 minutes. Once the onions are ready add your aromatic spices – paprika, all-spice and black pepper and continue by stirring the onions with the spices. Let them simmer for 2-3 minutes until you can smell the aromas coming out from your pot.
The second secret lays in the meat. This Greek Veal Stew with Tomato Sauce requires soft and tender meat. You can achieve this by allowing the meat to cook for a long time. There is no substitute for allowing the meat to cook well for at least one and a half to two hours at low heat. This will allow the meat to tenderise by converting its stringy and chewy collagen to gel.
Can you substitute veal with beef for this Greek Veal stew with Tomato Sauce?
When making this Greek Veal Stew with Tomato sauce make sure you buy the best organic meat. This stew is traditional made in Greece with veal. Veal is meat from young cattle and is thus soft and tender making it perfect for stews.
Can’t find any at your local butchers?
Do not worry! You can substitute veal with beef. Remember though, to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Veal meat being softer and tender will require less cooking time than beef, being more mature and less tender meat. Beef will require more than 2 hours of slow cooking. In addition, remember to add salt in the beginning of the stew if you are using beef. Add the salt along with the other spices. In contrast, if you are making this dish with veal make sure you add the salt towards the end of the stew.
I always perform the fork test to check the meat. If the meat falls apart when I pierce it with the fork then it is ready. If it does not, the meat requires a little bit of more cooking.
Can you add wine in this stew recipe?
This traditional Greek Veal Stew with Tomato Sauce does not require wine. This veal stew recipe has all-spice and sweet paprika which produce strong aromas and taste. By adding wine to this dish you will simply be diluting all the wonderful aromatic spices.
A big misconception by many is that wine adds favour to the dish. This is not entirely correct. Wine helps other ingredients release their flavours but does not itself add flavour to the dish. If you do wish though to add wine in this traditional recipe, I would recommend adding 100mls of a good red wine. I would recommend adding the wine after you have added the tomatoes. By adding the wine in the relative beginning of the dish, the alcohol will evaporate and you will avoid an alcoholic ‘boozy’ taste.
What can you serve with this Greek Veal Stew with Tomato sauce recipe?
There is a plethora of side dishes you can serve with this tasty veal stew. I love serving this stew with rice. The rich tomato sauce goes very well with rice. You can also serve this casserole with pasta; I personally like penne. Lastly you can pair this dish wth potatoes, such as potato puree, roast potatoes and/or chips.
