Every time I have this dish I get all sentimental and think about Greece. The first time I visited Greece was in 1974, I was 7 yrs. old and Greece had one foot in the past and the other firmly placed in the future. This visit to Greece would also be my first visit to a rural area – anywhere.

That first taste of rural life took place in father’s hometown, Amynteon – a cosmpolis of 6,000 inhabitants that was large enought to embrace a military base, the farmers of the area and all the shops, banks and residual businesses that supported this farming community. Heck, Amynteon even had a train station!

I remember my mom telling me about going to Aynteon, and singing “Old MacDonald” in anticipation of seeing all the farm animals. My memories are comprised of sight, smell and sound. Upon arriving in Amynteon and stepping off the train, I could see small, olden farm houses make of brick and plaster and rooved with terra cotta shingles. The first smell was that of anise followed by the odour of manure. Yes, we’re in farm country.

Fast forward to the next morning and I am awakened to the sounds of a rumble and clinking noise. My mom urged to rush to the front door, “come see, come see” and there it was, a slow-motion stampede of cattle being led to a central facility for milking. Amynteon has embraced cattle and dairy farming  and I was soon to also taste  my first glass of pure milk.

It was warm, heavy, a bit of butter around the rim of the mug. In hindsight, I did not like it and it was mostly due to my diet of drinking 2% milk here in Canada. The butter however was delicious! I recall a butter that was ivory white (no food colouring) and simply spreading it on some crusty bread from the town bakery was reminscent of a soft cheese/butter spread.

So, I’m one and one on the cow products-tasting. The memory I remember the most vividly and the one I can re-create on a whim is Kokkinisto. The most common Kokkinisto in Greek cooking is the one made with stewing beef or veal. Kokkinisto is a name for any dish that’s cooked in a pot and simmered/braised in a tomato-based sauce. Kokkinisto is literally translated as “reddened”.

My aunt (mother’s older sister) is also a fabulous cook and she made a Kokkinsto with some of the local veal. Local fresh tomatoes (my visit to Greece was in the summer), onions, bay and allspice were all added into the pot along with some locally made red wine. Like any dish, fresh local ingredients, a little love and attention were all that was needed to usher the dish to the hungry family.

That and some patience as such stews need some braising time to break the meat down and reduce the ingredients into a aromatic, deep thick sauce. My aunt would always serve Kokkinsto with a mound of rice pilaf, served right beside the tender chunks of meat that would flake off with a poke with a fork.

I’ve visited Greece on many occasions and I always ask my aunt to make this dish and with the same zeal and smile on her face, she reproduces a Kokkinisto just as I remembered it back in the summer of 1974 in Greece. I’ve changed with little with her approach to the dish other than to use a favourite cut of mine, beef short ribs.

I usually like my meat on the bone and beef short ribs offer that same fork-tender meat that’s a must with Kokkinisto and the bones give more flavour to the sauce. This is a Sunday meal where some time is required but not too much effort. Brown your meat, build your flavours in the pot and allow everything to simmer to a Sundat delight that will become a Sunday family favourite.

Kokkinisto With Beef Short Ribs

8-9 pieces of meaty short ribs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium  red onions, diced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed

3 bay leaves

1 tsp. of peppercorns + 5-6 whole allspice berries (tied in a cheesecloth)

1 cup dry red wine

1 Tbsp. wine vinegar

2 cups plum tomatoes, pureed

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup water or stock

salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Place a large pot on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Rinse and pat-dry your beef and season with salt and pepper. Aff your beef short ribs in two batches (don’t crowd them) and brown on all sides. Reserve.
2. Now add the onions, carrots, garlic, allspice and peppercorns and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the onions soften. Now add the vinegar and wine and simmer for another 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
3. Add the short ribs back into the pot along with the tomato puree and the water (the meat should still be partially exposed). Bring to a boil, add some salt and pepper and place the lid on. Place in your pre-heated oven for 90 minutes. Take out of the oven and remove lid. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place back in oven without the lid for another 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, add your parsley and serve with some mashed or roasted potatoes, rice pilaf or pasta. I also highly recommend a dry Greek red wine, a Xinomavro  grape varietal.