Kevin's Watch

Here is a simple, no fuss and hearty dish I’m in love with. It’s a Greek stew called Juvétsi (sometimes also spelled Jouvetsi, Youvetsi or Giouvetsi - ot sure if greek symbols display here)

The good thing about it is that you cook it all in one pot, you can’t overcook it (especially when done in a clay pot), it can be done using any meat you prefer and the taste is nothing short of being sublime.





I prepare it in a Römertopf, a clay pot you soak in cold water for like 15 minutes. During the cooking process the water within the clay evaporates and the steam inside the pot keeps things juicy and tender. It will work with any pot with a firmly fitting lid. I’m sure the crockpot is perfect for it. You might have to adjust the amount of liquid with other than clay pots, though.


• 1.5 lbs of meat – any meat you like, lean or with fat, it’s up to you. I use lamb or beef.
• 1.5 lbs of ripe tomatoes (canned tomatoes are perfect)
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 carrot
• butter (or butter fat), olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• (hot) paprika
• 2 TBS concentrated tomato puree
• ¾ cup wine (I use white wine, red is okay as well)
• 2 cups of stock
• ½ lbs Kritharáki pasta (rice shaped noodles) or Italian risoni
• 0,2 lbs cheese (feta, kefalotíri, parmesan, whatever …)


If you like a cinnamon stick, 1 or two cloves, bay leaves and/or rosemary add to the taste.


Cut the meat in nice chunks. You can first fry them or put them straight into the pot, it’s up to you. I would however recommend to cut the onions, garlic, celery and carrots in small cubes and gently fry them in a mix of butter and olive oil to make a soffrito. No roasting, just letting the vegetables get all soft, translucent and let the starch turn into sugar. Sweat for at least 20 minutes and stir in between – the perfect base for all Mediterranean stews.

Put meat and vegetables into the pot, add tomatoes (skinned and diced, seeds removed if you like) add tomato puree dissolved in the wine and season the whole thing. Don’t be afraid of salt, the pasta will need some. Take care though if the stock is salty, too. Add lid and close firmly.
If you use a clay pot put it into the cold oven (middle rack) and set temperature at 150°C / 300F / gas mark 2 and leave it alone for at least an hour. Or 2 or 4.

Whenever you feel time is up remove from the oven, add the pasta and the stock (let it be hot stock, so the clay pot won’t crack), stir and season again. Close pot and put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, take off lid and add the cheese. Put back in the oven with no lid for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

Enjoy.

Yum, Vader.

Would orzo work in place of Kritharáki or risoni?

Sure. I think it's the same kind of pasta.

Do you get Römertopf in the US? They used to be pretty popular here years ago. I remember on Sundays my momma would put the roast with all the vegetables in the pot, set it in the oven at low heat and we'd go for a walk in the woods or do some other things outside. When we came back hours later dinner was ready all by itself and the roast was so tender, you could eat it with a spoon. And the veggies never were overcooked. All the flavors and the juices were still where they belonged - inside the food.

Then the clay pots suddenly got out of fashion. Not sure why. Maybe because people stopped cooking with fresh stuff and the microwaves killed it or maybe because it wasn't hip enough anymore for 80s yuppies. Being a huge fan of sloooooooooooow fooooooooooood I discovered the Römertopf for me again. Fabolous flavors and since there is next to no extra fat it is all healthy.

Sometimes (if not most of the time) it's important to remember how the old folks did things. I'm still sad that I never asked my granny for her waffle recipe (though I'm pretty sure she used shortening instead of butter). Or her sand cake! Christ on a cracker, can you spell D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S? Sadly all I know is the dough had to be stirred with a wooden spoon for like 45 minutes. Always in the same direction and no electrical doohicky. It's fascinating how much stamina that small old person had. On a side note, I remember sawing wood with Mrs Vader's granny once and though I did a lot of workout back then that 84 year old rawboned Granny Weatherwax type of a woman killed me.

Maybe I should really start writing my own food blog so my daughter and her kids have something to read when the man is but a memory.

Maybe you should.

That stew looks fabulous. Mmmmm.

Doc Vader wrote:Do you get Römertopf in the US? They used to be pretty popular here years ago.

I know I've heard of them, and seen them used in cooking magazines and stuff. So, they're probably available in an upscale boutique type of place such as Williams-Sonoma.

I bet AB would suggest using a non-glazed clay planter and saucer of some type for a lid for this though...

And I agree; I would love to read a food/cooking blog of yours.

sounds and looks delicious. and i think i can easily adapt your recipe for crock pot and to replace any items i don't have access to.