Beef Giouvetsi

Directions

Rinse the beef pieces and pat them dry with absorbent paper.

In a deep saucepan or a Dutch oven, heat a little olive oil and brown the beef on all sides. Then, add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and mix everything together.

Deglaze the pan with wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Add the fig syrup or honey, grated tomato, chopped carrots, around 1.5 liters of boiling water (to maintain the boiling and prevent the meat from tightening), bay leaves, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, salt, and freshly ground pepper.

Once it starts boiling, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. If you're not using a pot, let it simmer for approximately one hour.

In a separate pot, heat a little olive oil, add the barley pasta, and stir continuously. Once the pasta is well coated with oil, transfer it to the saucepan with the meat.

Pour the remaining liquid from the meat into the saucepan, add salt, and place it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes.

• The ratio for the barley pasta is 1 to 3. That means 1 part pasta to 3 parts liquid.
• The cooking vessel plays a role in the cooking time. It can vary depending on whether you use a clay pot, baking dish, or Dutch oven, etc. Personally, I use a clay pot. In this case, you should preheat the pot along with the oven before adding your dish to prevent the temperature from dropping and to maintain a steady boil in the oven.
• Keep in mind that giouvetsi absorbs moisture, so after removing it from the oven, let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. This allows it to gradually absorb the remaining moisture and become perfectly cooked while retaining its texture.
• Using the same method, you can also make goat giouvetsi, which is a dream...
• When you remove it from the oven, sprinkle it with grated cheese.

Enjoy your delicious Beef Giouvetsi!