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Greek-Style Beef and Orzo Stew
In the Greek comfort-food dish called youvetsi, the meat (usually beef or lamb) and orzo share equal status. In our version, the cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce is rich with the juices released by the beef chuck during simmering. We cook the orzo directly in the sauce once the beef is tender so it absorbs plenty of flavor and its starch thickens the stew. Chopped herbs at the end add freshness; we prefer a mix of parsley, dill and mint, but just one or two does nicely.
4
Servings
1 hour 10 minutes
20 minutes active
Ingredients
-
1
tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
-
4
medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Reviews
February 16, 2025
Heartwarming meal.
I made this stew in preparation for a cold winter weekend at home. I wish I had doubled the recipe. 2 adjustments - I used 1- 14oz fire-roasted tomatoes and 1- 14oz crushed tomato instead of all 28 oz fire-roasted, and to finish, I used a Mediterranean Herb Feta and served it with warm sourdough and a crisp white wine. Scrumptious!!
October 30, 2023
Absolutely delicious and super easy recipe, but liquid amounts might need tweaking
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! I was a bit skeptical due to how simple the recipe was and the tomato that it might come out lacking a bit or somehow bland but it was super flavorful, meat was tender and all around just incredible. Especially with the herbs and additional feta. I do agree with the other posters that the amount of water it calls for seems like a lot for 1 cup of orzo...so much so that it looked so soupy I panicked and added around 3/4 cup more orzo. This did make it much more orzo-y and thick (closer to what is pictured). Maybe the original amounts with 1 cup orzo to 3.5 cups water would have worked and thickened up enough if I was patient enough to see the outcome but I am doubtful. Otherwise, perfect family recipe.
February 18, 2024
Really need feta cheese
This is an excellent stew and not difficult to make. I agree with other reviews that 3 1/2 cups water is too much. I used 2 1/2 cups and it came out just right. I think I could have added 2 3/4 cups but no more. The crumbled feta cheese on top is really necessary to bring out all the flavors.
This recipe was excellent! Aside from using venison backstrap that I had on hand, and using a bit less water, I made it as written. Just the right amount of cinnamon was used here, too. Served with Greek potatoes and Greek veggies, I'll definitely be making this meal again in the future. Thanks, Ms. Rackow & Milk Street team !
The description says to add 3.5 cups of water with the 1 cup of orzo. This is in addition to the 28 oz of tomatoes. This was way to much liquid when I made it. It was a soup. Next time I’ll add only 1 cup of water. Flavor was great!
I just made this recipe for lunch today, and I came on here to make the same comment. Although delicious, it was WAY too soupy. Given all of the other comments, I wonder if there's a mistake in the recipe -- there's no way it can come out looking like the picture when using that much water.. I think reducing the liquid to 1 cup like Mark suggested may be going too far, but next time I make this I think I'll try 2.5 cups of water.
I made my dish with boneless short ribs, and the beef cubes were wonderfully tender. I'd be interest in hearing from somebody who used chuck roast -- the short ribs are very pricey right now.
Hi Mark and William -
Just want to clarify that when the orzo and water are added the mixture is boiled - uncovered - during that time so the liquid can evaporate. It shouldn't be covered at that time. This might be the cause of the soupy texture. If you are cooking it uncovered and still finding that there is too much liquid, let us know!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
Hi Lynn,
I did the 45-minute simmer covered (as directed), but after adding the orzo and water I definitely left it uncovered the entire time. IMHO, it's gotta be a mistake in the instructions. FWIW, I cooked it in a ceramic-glazed Dutch oven. Also FWIW, I used 2 14.5 oz cans of Hunt's fire-roasted diced tomatoes, including all of the liquid.
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This was delicious and easy to make! I accidentally used tomatoes with green chilies which gave a little heat but overall still great!