Giouvetsi

(Original recipe by Argiro Barbarigou)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1200 gr. beef, cut into portions (shoulder) 
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion  
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek
• 1 / 2 cup of dry white wine
• 1 kg tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 500 gr orzo pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper  
• Kefalotiri cheese or pecorino or Parmesan, grated

Step One

 Warm the olive oil in a deep casserole and brown the meat portions on all sides for 8-10 min. Add the onion, carrot, leek, garlic and leave them until they are coated with oil.Pour the wine in and wait for the alcohol to evaporate. Add the sugar, the tomatoes and the water. Put the lid and let simmer for 1h until the meat becomes tender. Season with salt and pepper towards the end of cooking time.

Step Two

 Warm the olive oil in a shallow casserole, put the orzo pasta in and stir around with a spoon to get it coated in oil.Then empty it in a baking pan and top it with the stewed meat. Remove the vegetables from the sauce and pour the sauce over the food. Make sure the orzo gets fully covered. If not add warm water to cover as much as 2 cm above the orzo.Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 40 min. When almost done, you may sprinkle with grated kefalotiri cheese and leave for another 10 min.

ENJOY!!

Tip 1: I chopped the vegetables in small cubes and left them in the stew.

Tip 2: Add around 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water, because it will not be enough liquid to cook the orzo pasta.