Stag Kokkinisto

Kokkinisto is a Greek stew made of beef, but stag is an excellent alternative (as is venison or elk, or even antelope). I chose to use stag for this recipe as, well, I just got back from New Zealand and couldn’t wait to use some delicious stag!

This recipe is chock full of flavor and takes about 30 minutes to make! I love recipes that can be made on weeknights after work that feel like they have taken all day to create. So let’s get to it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 ½ lbs stag meat diced (or venison or elk or moose or antelope... you get the picture)
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 leek diced
• 1 cup cocktail onions
• 2 garlic cloves (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 1 TBS fresh thyme (or 1 tsp ground thyme)
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 125 ml red wine (I prefer a bit more than this)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz)—don’t use diced tomatoes… it will be too chunky
• ½ tsp sugar
• 3 ½ cups beef broth
• ¼ cup fresh parsley (I used parsley on this recipe but feel cilantro would be better!)
• Salt/pepper/red pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Brown meat on all sides. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add onion, carrot, leek, and garlic to pot and cook for 7-8 minutes.  Cook until tender. Add cocktail onions. I like to cook my veggies until they are slightly browned as it gives them a nice flavor in soups and stews.  This will be your own personal preference.
3. Add tomato paste and wine to the veggies. Mix thoroughly. Add thyme and cloves and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Else, you will be bitterly disappointed when it burns to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and beef stock. Add your salt/pepper to your preference.  I love to add red pepper flakes here to add some zing and ping to the recipe. Give it a whirl!
5. Add meat back to the pot and bring to a boil. Keep on stirring. Trust me!
6. Drop heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes or until you feel you are done (or until your household members cannot wait any longer).
7. I would recommend serving it over polenta! It’s delicious even if you cannot see it in the bowl. If you are not into polenta, you can serve it over orzo or potatoes… the starch offers a nice balance to the kokkinisto!