Note: I’ve given you a vegetarian stifado as not to contradict what I have said about meat eating in the winter months.
Ingredients:
300 grams of any type of meaty mushrooms
300 grams of button mushrooms
1 large onion
½ kilo small shallots, I hand pick these so I get the smallest possible
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tin crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
¾ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 – 3 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon black pepper
5-6 peppercorns
3-4 whole cloves
1 cup water
½ teaspoon sugar
Method:
1. Put shallots in hot water and bring to boil for about 2-3 minutes, pour out hot water and replace with cold, allow to cool.
2. When cooled, peel and sauté in half the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and set aside.
3. Clean mushrooms. I like to give them a quick rinse one by one and wipe them quickly so as not to allow them to absorb water. There is the school of thought that mushrooms should not be washed, I have always washed them to avoid soil and grit in my cooking.
4. Cut larger mushrooms in thin slices and leave the button mushrooms whole or at best cut in half, add the remaining oil, sauté and put aside.
5. Chop onion and garlic very fine and sauté in remaining oil, if needed add a little more oil.
6. Add shallots, tomato paste diluted in a cup of water, add crushed tomatoes, red wine, vinegar, all the spices and the seasoning, add bay leaves, bring to the boil and add the mushrooms.
7. Cook on moderately low heat for about ¾ hour or until mushrooms, shallots are soft and tender and the sauce has thickened.