Giouvetsi

Giouvetsi is a Greek comfort food dish made with beef or lamb, orzo and tomatoes. Enjoy this crowd-pleaser along with a Greek side salad for a true wordly treat! This recipe makes 8-10 servings.

PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 2 hours 0 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red onion, diced
1 cup sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 cups carrots, diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups water, divided
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh parsley, minced for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a 6 quart or larger Dutch oven, add olive oil and set burner to high.

While oil is heating, salt and pepper the beef. Sear on high for 4-5 minutes per side getting a nice crisp sear on each side; you may have to do this in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.

Reduce heat to medium high and add both onions and the carrot. Stir and cook for three minutes then add the tomato paste and garlic.

Cook the vegetables with the paste and garlic for two additional minutes.

Add all of the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir often for five minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated and you are left with a thick sauce about the consistency of thick pancake batter.

Add reserved meat with any juices collected in the bowl along with the tomatoes, one cup of the water, the cinnamon stick and the sugar.

Stir, cover and place in the oven for one hour and 15 minutes, stirring once half way through.

While stew is cooking, toast the orzo by cooking it in a dry sauté pan over medium high heat for about five minutes. Toss and stir often during the cooking time. Remove to a bowl until needed.

Remove the stew from the oven but leave the oven on. Discard cinnamon stick, add the remaining two cups of water and the toasted orzo. Stir, cover and place back in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

Remove from oven after the 20 minutes, fluff and serve with crumbled feta cheese and fresh minced parsley.