Beef Ragu

Summer holidays for Greeks are like the Holy Grail! They don’t want anything or anyone to disturb them and they do whatever they can to escape from big cities to an island or a seaside village in the mainland. Customarily, the month of summer vacations is August. Big cities start emptying and around mid-August they are almost deserted.

Summer 2016 1

 

Summer 2016 2

Up until three years ago, we were doing the exact same thing. But then, we got tired of having the same crowd in our vacations as we had in our everyday life and we decided to change a bit things up. Now, we go for vacations the last two weeks of July. Let me tell you, it is so much better this way. People are still there but not as crowded as during August. Service is much more efficient, food is of better quality and in general life is more relaxing.

Summer 2016 3

 

Summer 2016 4

 

This year we have decided to go to Peloponnese and spend twelve days in Helia and Argolida prefectures. Our first stop was in Helia prefecture and more particular in Skafidià. What we really want during our vacations is to be as close to the sea as possible and thus we chose Aldemar Hotel to stay for 6 days. It is a beautiful place just like a small village with bungalows. Coincidentally, a schoolmate of mine has a cottage close there and I had the chance to meet with her and her family. She has a son one year younger than mine and so my son had company too.

Summer 2016 5

 

Summer 2016 7

 

Then the rest of our vacations we spent it in Argolida prefecture in Kandia village! Again we chose a hotel in front of the sea and as you can see from the photos it was a beautiful place! We stayed there for another 7 days and we had the chance to visit Mycenae a very important city of the ancient Greek history.

Summer 2016 6

 

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“In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centers of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000 and an area of 32 hectares.

Beef Ragu

 

“The first excavations at Mycenae were carried out by Greek archaeologist Kyriakos Pittakis in 1841 where he found and restored the Lion Gate. In 1874, Heinrich Schliemann excavated deep shafts all over the acropolis; in August 1876, a complete excavation of the site by Schliemann commenced. Schliemann believed in the historical truth of the Homeric stories and interpreted the site accordingly. He found the ancient shaft graves with their royal skeletons and spectacular grave goods. Upon discovering a human skull beneath a gold death mask in one of the tombs, he declared: “I have gazed upon the face of Agamemnon”. Since Schliemann’s day, more scientific excavations have taken place at Mycenae, mainly by Greek archaeologists but also by the British School at Athens. The acropolis was excavated in 1902, and the surrounding hills have been methodically investigated by subsequent excavations.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Beef Ragu

When I got back home and after eating out all those days, I craved for some real homemade food. On the other hand, I was still too lazy to enter the kitchen and do something fancy, so I decided to go simple and delicious. I dusted my slow cooker and made this delicious Beef Ragu with Mavrodafni sweet red wine, mushrooms, carrots and herbs and spices. I let it slowly cook for 8 hours overnight and next day I had the most delicious meal. We all devoured it and that was the best welcome home!

Beef Ragu

 

5.0 from 2 reviews
Slow Cooked Beef Ragù with Sweet Red Wine over Pasta
 
Author/ Συγγραφέας:
Recipe type/ Τύπος Πιάτου: Main Course
Cuisine/ Κουζίνα: Mediterranean
Serves: 4
Ingredients/ Συστατικά
  • 1 kilo/ 2 pounds beef cut in cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 carrots, cut in thick slices
  • 250 gr. / 9 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup Mavrodafni sweet red wine, or any other wine you have available
  • 2 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
  • ⅔ cup beef stock
  • ⅔ cup tomato juice
  • 3 tomatoes, mashed in the blender
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 4 bay leaves
  • Salt, pepper
  • About 10 basil leaves chopped
  • A bunch of parsley chopped
  • Olive oil for sautéing
Instructions/ Εκτέλεση
  1. In a large skillet pour three to four tbsp of olive oil and sauté the beef chunks in medium/high temperature.
  2. Remove and place them in the slow cooker.
  3. In the same skillet add some olive oil if necessary and sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
  4. Pour the wine and continue to sauté until half of the wine’s quantity has evaporated.
  5. Turn off the heat and transfer them to the slow cooker’s vessel as well.
  6. Add all the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker and with a ladle mix them to incorporate.
  7. Start the slow cooker at high for eight hours.
  8. After that time you beef is ready.
  9. You can eat it with pasta or mashed potatoes.
  10. In case you don’t have a slow cooker, you just follow the same procedure only you transfer everything to a deep pot and bring to boil.
  11. Lower heat to low and simmer for at least four hours.
  12. Check occasionally with a fork to see of the beef is tender.

 
5.0 from 2 reviews
Μοσχάρι Ραγού με Λινγκουΐνι
 
Author/ Συγγραφέας:
Recipe type/ Τύπος Πιάτου: Κυρίως πιάτο
Cuisine/ Κουζίνα: Μεσογειακή
Serves: 4
Ingredients/ Συστατικά
  • 1 κιλό μοσχάρι κομμένο σε κύβους
  • 1 κρεμμύδι, ψιλοκομμένο
  • 3 σκελίδες σκόρδο, λιωμένες
  • 3 καρότα κομμένα σε χοντρές φέτες
  • 250 γρ. άσπρα μανιτάρια, κομμένα σε φέτες
  • 1 φλυτζάνι Μαυροδάφνη ή οποιαδήποτε άλλο κρασί έχετε διαθέσιμο
  • 2 κ.σ. διπλά συμπυκνωμένο πάστα ντομάτας
  • ⅔ φλ. ζωμό μοσχαριού
  • ⅔ φλ. χυμό ντομάτας
  • 3 ντομάτες, λιωμένες στο μπλέντερ
  • 1 κ.σ. ζάχαρη
  • 1 κ.γ. κανέλα
  • 1 κ.γ. μοσχοκάρυδο
  • 4 φύλλα δάφνης
  • Αλάτι, πιπέρι
  • Περίπου 10 φύλλα βασιλικού, ψιλοκομμένο
  • Ένα μάτσο μαϊντανό ψιλοκομμένο
  • Ελαιόλαδο για το σοτάρισμα
Instructions/ Εκτέλεση
  1. Σε ένα μεγάλο τηγάνι ρίξτε τρεις έως τέσσερις κουταλιές της σούπας ελαιόλαδο και σοτάρετε τα κομμάτια του κρέατος σε μέτρια/υψηλή θερμοκρασία.
  2. Αφαιρέστε και τοποθετήστε τα στη slow cooker.
  3. Στο ίδιο τηγάνι προσθέστε μερικές κουταλιές ελαιόλαδο, εάν είναι απαραίτητο και σοτάρετε το κρεμμύδι, το σκόρδο, τα καρότα και τα μανιτάρια για περίπου 5 λεπτά.
  4. Σβήστε με το κρασί και συνεχίστε να σοτάρετε μέχρι να εξατμιστεί η μισή ποσότητα του κρασιού.
  5. Σβήστε τη φωτιά και ρίξτε τα και αυτά στη slow cooker.
  6. Προσθέστε και όλα τα υπόλοιπα υλικά και ανακατέψτε να ενσωματωθούν.
  7. Ξεκινήστε τη slow cooker στην υψηλή θερμοκρασία για οκτώ ώρες.
  8. Μετά από αυτό το χρόνο το κρέας είναι έτοιμο.
  9. Μπορείτε να το συνοδεύσετε με ζυμαρικά ή πατάτες πουρέ.
  10. Αν δεν έχετε slow cooker, ακολουθείτε την ίδια διαδικασία αλλά βάζετε όλα τα υλικά σε μία κοινή κατσαρόλα.
  11. Φέρνετε σε βρασμό και μετά χαμηλώνετε τη φωτιά στο χαμηλό και σιγοβράζετε μέχρι να μαλακώσει το μοσχάρι.
  12. Παλιά που το έκανα με αυτό τον τρόπο μου έπαιρνε γύρω στις 4 ώρες όμως εξαρτάται από το κομμάτι του κρέατος και τη δύναμη της φωτιάς.

 

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