Chef Dimitra
Bourdeto Kerkyra (Μπουρδέτο Κέρκυρας)
Corfu's bourdeto is a red, pepper-hot fish braise, traditionally made with scorpionfish, potatoes, tomato, and enough heat to announce the Ionian table.
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Chania Tsigariasto (Χανιώτικο Τσιγαριαστό)
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In Chania, tsigariasto is goat or lamb browned in olive oil, softened with wine, and left to braise without water until the pot gives back only glossy meat juices.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Easter
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
15 min
Active Time
2 hr 15 min cook•2 hr 30 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Tsigariasto belongs to the mountains of western Crete, especially Chania: goat or lamb browned in olive oil and cooked down with wine, no water, no tomato, no fragrant pile of herbs. The name tells you the method, from tsigarizo, to brown in fat. What makes it itself is the spareness. Good meat, good oil, patience.
I want you to hear this before the pot goes on: the browning is the dish. Brown the pieces hard and in batches. If the meat is crowded, it releases grey liquid and the pot becomes a plain stew; if it has space, the oil takes the browned flavor and the later wine turns that into sauce. After that, lower the flame and leave it alone.
This is the Cretan table after a fast or on a feast day, rich but not busy. I don't add onion because the old Chania version doesn't need its sweetness, and I don't add water because water erases the whole point. My notebook has three versions from Cretan cooks, and the best one is the plainest: meat, oil, wine, salt, pepper. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones.
Tsigariasto is tied to western Crete, especially Chania and the villages below the Lefka Ori, the White Mountains, where kid goat and lamb were feast meats rather than everyday food. Its name comes from tsigarizo, meaning to brown in fat, and the dish preserves that older verb in the pot: the meat is first colored in olive oil, then finished in its own juices with wine. Unlike Cretan kokkinisto, it has no tomato sauce; the reduced oil, wine, and meat juices are the sauce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in kid goat or lamb shoulder or leg
Quantity
1.5kg
cut into 5-6cm pieces
Cretan extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
120ml
dry white wine
Quantity
180ml
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon
lemon (optional)
Quantity
1
cut into wedges, for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in kid goat or lamb shoulder or legcut into 5-6cm pieces | 1.5kg |
| Cretan extra virgin olive oil | 120ml |
| dry white wine | 180ml |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 12g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1 teaspoon |
| lemon (optional)cut into wedges, for serving | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy-bottomed pot with tight-fitting lid, 28-30cm
- •sturdy tongs for turning bone-in meat
- •wooden spoon for scraping the browned base
Instructions
- 1
Dry the meat
Take the meat out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Pat every piece very dry, then season it with the salt and pepper. Keep the bone-in pieces large. Small cubes tighten before the sauce has time to become rich.
- 2
Brown in batches
Set a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot and shimmering, brown the meat in batches, 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the edges are deep brown. This is the step that decides tsigariasto. Crowd the pot and the meat leaks grey liquid; give it space and the oil takes on the browned flavor that becomes the whole sauce.
Do not rush the first batch. The color on the bottom of the pot is not dirt, it is dinner. - 3
Add the wine
Return all the meat to the pot, pour in the wine, and scrape the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let the wine boil for 2 minutes so its sharp smell softens. There is no water in this dish.
- 4
Braise very low
Cover the pot, lower the heat to the smallest steady flame, and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, turning the meat every 25 minutes. The meat should soften in its own juices and the wine, not swim. If the pot threatens to catch before the meat is tender, lower the heat first; if it still needs help, add 30ml wine, not water.
A tight lid matters here. Tsigariasto is a closed-pot braise, not a soup. - 5
Gloss the sauce
When the meat is tender enough to pull from the bone with a spoon, uncover the pot and cook 10 to 15 minutes more. Turn the pieces gently until the sauce reduces to glossy oil, wine, and meat juices clinging to the meat. Taste for salt.
- 6
Rest and serve
Let the tsigariasto rest off the heat for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon the pot juices over the meat and serve with lemon wedges if you like, fried potatoes, horta, or Cretan pilafi. It is rich food, Easter food, mountain food. It does not need decoration.
Chef Tips
- •Kid goat is first choice in Chania. If you cannot get it, use bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, not boneless lean cubes. The bone gives the sauce body, and the slightly tougher pieces become sweet with time.
- •Use a wide pot. A narrow pot makes you stack the meat, and stacked meat will not brown properly. Tsigariasto asks for patience at the beginning so the rest can be quiet.
- •Do not add tomato, stock, onion, garlic, or a fistful of herbs and still call it this dish. Those pots may be good, but they are not Chania tsigariasto.
- •It reheats well. Chill it in its sauce, then warm it gently over low heat. If the sauce is too tight, add a spoonful of wine and let it loosen slowly.
Advance Preparation
- •Ask the butcher to cut the meat into 5-6cm bone-in pieces up to 1 day ahead, then keep it covered and chilled.
- •The dish can be cooked up to 2 days ahead. Chill it in its sauce and reheat covered over very low heat.
- •Do not brown the meat hours ahead and leave it half-cooked. Once you begin, finish the braise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
610 calories
Total Fat
49 g
Saturated Fat
16 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
30 g
Cholesterol
145 mg
Sodium
955 mg
Total Carbohydrates
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
42 g
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