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.
Culinary Explorer
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Politiko Tas Kebab (Πολίτικο Τας Κεμπάπ, Constantinople Beef Stew)
Created by
Tas kebab is the City's dark beef stew: browned meat, sweet onion, tomato, cumin, allspice and bay, cooked slowly until the sauce clings to rice or potato puree.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
2 hr 30 min cook•2 hr 55 min total
Yield6 servings
Politiko tas kebab is the City's beef stew, a Constantinopolitan kokkinisto with small cubes of beef, sweet onion, tomato, cumin, allspice and bay cooked until the sauce turns dark and almost spoon-thick. It is not a grill kebab. It is a pot dish, made for rice pilaf or potato puree, where every grain or spoonful catches the sauce.
The method that decides it is the browning. Brown the beef hard, in batches, and don't hurry to stir; the bottom of the pot must collect those dark sticky bits before wine and tomato loosen them. If the meat crowds the pan, it sheds water and the whole sauce goes pale. Good olive oil, and patience. That is most of the work.
I learned this version in Thessaloniki from a Politissa neighbor who served it over rice so white it made the sauce look black-red. I don't invent it. I find it, I test it, I write it down. The region is the dish's surname, and here the surname is Poli: cumin warm but not loud, allspice tucked behind it, beef soft enough to yield to the spoon.
Tas kebab belongs to Politiki kouzina, the Greek cooking of Constantinople, where urban households absorbed the spice habits of the Ottoman capital without losing their own table. The Turkish word tas means bowl, and tas kebabı in Ottoman cookery named meat cooked in a covered vessel, a city stew rather than a skewer. In Greek households it traveled through the twentieth century with families who left Constantinople after the 1955 pogrom and the 1964 expulsions, keeping cumin and allspice close to beef.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
boneless beef chuck, blade or shin
Quantity
1.2kg
cut into 4cm pieces
fine sea salt
Quantity
12g
plus more to finish
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
75ml
divided
yellow onions
Quantity
350g
finely sliced
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
minced
tomato paste (pelté)
Quantity
35g
ground cumin
Quantity
1 teaspoon
whole allspice berries (bahari)
Quantity
5
lightly crushed, or use 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
bay leaves
Quantity
2
small cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
about 5cm
dry red wine
Quantity
150ml
grated ripe tomatoes
Quantity
450g
or use 400g good passata
hot water or light beef stock
Quantity
350ml
plus more as needed
sugar (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
only if the tomatoes are sharp
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
10g
chopped
cooked rice pilaf or smooth potato puree
Quantity
6 portions
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| boneless beef chuck, blade or shincut into 4cm pieces | 1.2kg |
| fine sea saltplus more to finish | 12g |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oildivided | 75ml |
| yellow onionsfinely sliced | 350g |
| garlic clovesminced | 4 |
| tomato paste (pelté) | 35g |
| ground cumin | 1 teaspoon |
| whole allspice berries (bahari)lightly crushed, or use 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice | 5 |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| small cinnamon stickabout 5cm | 1 |
| dry red wine | 150ml |
| grated ripe tomatoesor use 400g good passata | 450g |
| hot water or light beef stockplus more as needed | 350ml |
| sugar (optional)only if the tomatoes are sharp | 1 teaspoon |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 10g |
| cooked rice pilaf or smooth potato pureefor serving | 6 portions |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy lidded casserole or Dutch oven, 28cm
- •wide plate or tray for browned meat
- •flat wooden spatula for scraping the browned base
Instructions
- 1
Season the beef
Pat the beef dry and season it with the salt and black pepper. Leave it on the counter for 20 minutes while you slice the onions and set out the spices. Dry meat browns cleanly. Damp meat gives you a wet pot before the dish has even begun.
- 2
Brown in batches
Warm 45ml of the olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 3 batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until you see dark patches on the meat and browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Move each batch to a plate. This is the step that decides tas kebab: crowded meat drops its juice, and then the sauce tastes of boiled beef instead of the browned base a kokkinisto needs.
Don't keep turning the meat. Put it down, let it take color, then turn it once or twice. - 3
Soften the onions
Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining 30ml olive oil if the pot looks dry. Add the onions with a small pinch of salt and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until they soften and turn honey-gold at the edges. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
- 4
Darken the paste
Add the tomato paste, cumin, allspice, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom, until the paste darkens and the spices smell warm but not burnt. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for 3 minutes, loosening every browned bit from the pot.
If you use ground allspice instead of berries, keep the heat moderate. Ground spices scorch faster. - 5
Start the braise
Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Add the grated tomatoes or passata and 350ml hot water or light stock. The liquid should come about two-thirds up the meat, not drown it. Bring it to a quiet bubble, then cover the pot.
- 6
Cook until tender
Lower the heat and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, stirring every 25 minutes. Keep the bubble lazy and steady. If the sauce threatens to catch, add a small splash of hot water. The beef is ready when a spoon can press into a cube without a fight.
- 7
Reduce the sauce
Uncover the pot and remove the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and any visible allspice berries. Simmer for 15 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is glossy, dark red-brown and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste for salt. If the tomato is sharp, stir in the sugar. Let the stew rest for 10 minutes.
- 8
Serve the City way
Spoon the tas kebab over rice pilaf or smooth potato puree. Scatter with parsley if you like, and finish with a thin thread of the remaining olive oil. The sauce should pool just enough for the rice or potato to take it in. Bring it to the table hot and generous.
Chef Tips
- •Choose chuck, blade or shin, not lean supermarket cubes. Tas kebab needs meat with enough connective tissue to soften into the sauce. A perfect method on dry meat still gives a dry stew. Λίγα και καλά.
- •Use ripe grated tomatoes in their season. Outside summer, good passata is the honest Greek kitchen answer, not a sad tomato forced into service.
- •Don't make the spices shout. Cumin should tell you this is the City's stew, allspice should sit behind it, and bay should keep the tomato clean. If the sauce smells sweet before it smells beefy, you've gone too far.
- •This stew holds beautifully. Chill it overnight and the sauce thickens; reheat it gently with a splash of hot water so the meat stays tender.
Advance Preparation
- •Cut and salt the beef up to 12 hours ahead; keep it covered in the refrigerator and pat it dry before browning.
- •Make the tas kebab 1 day ahead for a calmer, deeper sauce; cool it, chill it, then reheat gently with a splash of hot water.
- •Cook the rice pilaf while the stew rests, or make the potato puree just before serving so it stays smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 430g)
Calories
665 calories
Total Fat
34 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
21 g
Cholesterol
145 mg
Sodium
990 mg
Total Carbohydrates
39 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
48 g
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