Plan enough liquid
Kritharaki continue to sauce after the oven. The dish may look a little more liquid when taken out than it should be served later.
Greek Recipe
Giouvetsi with beef and Kritharaki
beef shoulder is slowly melted softly with onions, wine, tomatoes, laurels, cinnamon and piment. Only at the end are Kritharaki and hot broth added, so that the noodles remain juicy and tender but firm.
Total time
3 hr 15 min
Calories
760 kcal
Servings
6 servings
Difficulty
Medium
Why this recipe works
Greek beef stew with orzo noodles
Giouvetsi is traditionally prepared in a deep oven form. The meat gets most of the cooking time alone, because Kritharaki only takes a few minutes and then continues to absorb liquid. The casserole should therefore come out of the oven still juicy. Geriebener Kefaloteri complements the warm tomato and spice notes when serving.
Mediterranean Cuisine
Lunch
One-Pot Recipes
Dinner
Recipe
Giouvetsi with beef and Kritharaki
Giouvetsi stews beef in an aromatic tomato sauce and then cooks Kritharaki directly in the casserole until the pasta absorbs the meat juice.
Ingredients
6 servings
Method
-
1
Fry beef vigorously
Preheat the oven to 160 °C top/bottom heat. Heat olive oil in a oven-resistant casserole and fry the meat in three portions all around dark. Remove.
-
2
Build sauce base
Sauté onions in frying fat for 7 minutes. Roast garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. Deglaze with red wine and boil to about half.
-
3
braise the meat
Add tomatoes, 600 ml broth, cinnamon, piment, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Put meat back, cover in the oven and simmer for about 2 hours until it is almost tender.
-
4
Remove Spices
Remove the casserole and remove cinnamon stick, bay leaf and piment. Increase oven temperature to 190 °C. Check if there is still at least 1.2 l of thin sauce in the casserole; add hot broth if necessary.
-
5
Critharaki cooking
Stir in Kritharaki evenly and bake open for 18 to 22 minutes. After 10 minutes stir gently and add more hot broth if necessary.
-
6
Serve juiced
Remove Giouvetsi from the oven when the noodles are almost tender but firm and still clearly surrounded by sauce. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, season and sprinkle with kefalothyri.
Kitchen know-how
Tips for Giouvetsi with beef and Kritharaki
Add noodles only at the end
Kritharaki would disintegrate completely for three hours together. The beef becomes tender at first, the noodles will only be added for the last stage of the oven.
Variations
How to adapt this recipe
Replace beef shoulder with lamb shoulder. The Schmorzeit can be 15 to 20 minutes shorter depending on the size of the pieces.
Replace red wine with 150 ml additional beef broth and balance the tomato sauce at the end with a teaspoon of red wine vinegar.
Nutrition per serving
760kcal
68.0 gCarbohydrates
52.0 gProtein
29.0 gFat
Values are estimates per serving and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Giouvetsi with beef and Kritharaki
Kritharaki look like large rice grains, but consist of durum wheat semolina and are a pasta variety. They are also called orzo or rice noodles.
In the broad casserole, the pasta evenly absorb the tomato and meat sauce. At the same time, light roasted aromas are produced on the surface.
Before stirring, there must be plenty of thin, hot sauce. Check once during baking and add hot broth if necessary.
Yes, however, the noodles continue to absorb liquid. When heated slowly, stir in some broth or water and add freshly grated cheese only afterwards.
Kefalotyri is strong, salty and traditionally suitable. Kefalograviera or a not too mild Pecorino are useful alternatives.
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