Last year while in Greece, I rode into my father’s hometown of Amynteon (Florina) with one of my cousins. We stayed at her mom’s and when we got there lunch was waiting for us, including this stewed beef dish with zucchini and finished in an Avgolemono sauce.

I opted for a lighter version of this dish, thickening the sauce with a corn starch slurry and the results were fantastic! This is another one-pot dish you can add into your meal options for family/friends. I wish I had experienced this dish before I released my Everything One Pot Mediterranean cookbook. It would have made a great addition!

I know you can go buy “stewing beef” from the super market but the cut of beef used can be dubious so, look for/ask for chuck. It has some fat, lots of flavour and should be tender after about 45-60 minutes covered in a cast iron Dutch oven.

Beef Lemonato With Zucchini

Recipe by Peter MinakiCourse: MainDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 kg. of beef chuck, cut into large chunks

• sea salt and pepper
  1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 cups roughly sliced onions

• 4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed

• 3 bay leaves

• handful of fresh mint leaves

• 2 branches of fresh oregano or savory

• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

• 1 beef or chicken bouillon cube

• 3 small zucchini, cut into chunks

• 1 Tbsp. corn starch diluted in cold water

Directions

• Season your beef with salt and place your Dutch oven on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Add half your oil into the pot and lightly brown your meat.
• Lower heat to medium and add your remaining oil, onions and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes.
• Add wine, lemon juice, bay leaves, mint, oregano, tomato paste, potatoes, bouillon and enough hot water (about 3 cups) to just cover the meat. Add some more salt, ground pepper and bring up to a boil.
• Cover and lower to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Uncover and check meat’s doneness with a fork. Cover and check in 10 minute intervals (add water if needed).
• Once meat is tender, add zucchini and cover and cook another 10 minutes.
• Uncover, taste liquid and adjust seasoning, add more lemon juice if desired. Add the corn starch slurry and remove bay leaves.

Notes

• If you wish, you can omit the potatoes and serve with a side of fries.
• I like using a Dutch oven because it is made from cast iron and it retains heat well. If you don’t have one, a pot with a lid will work but cooking time may be a little longer.