Moschari Kokkinisto Recipe (Greek Beef Braised in Tomato)

While arni kokkinisto uses lamb, the more traditionally common version of this everyday Greek braise actually uses beef or veal, moschari, and it is genuinely the version most households picture first when someone says kokkinisto, a plain, straightforward red sauce built to be poured over pasta or rice rather than anything more elaborate.

The method is identical to the lamb version, browning the meat properly, building a simple tomato sauce with bay and a little cinnamon, and letting it braise low and slow until the beef is completely tender, though beef generally wants a slightly longer cooking time than lamb shoulder.

This is real, everyday Sunday cooking, needing patience rather than skill, and it rewards being made a day ahead, since the sauce, like most braises, deepens further once it has had time to sit.

Key preparation steps

1. Brown beef chunks hard before anything else goes into the pot.
2. Build a simple tomato sauce with wine, bay and cinnamon.
3. Braise low and slow until the beef is completely tender.
4. Serve with pasta, rice or bread.

Choosing the cut

Beef chuck or shin, or veal shoulder, cut into large chunks, are the right cuts here, since they carry enough connective tissue to become genuinely tender over a long braise rather than turning dry and stringy. A leaner cut like sirloin is the wrong choice for this method.

Browning and building the sauce

Brown the beef hard in batches, which builds real depth for what is otherwise a fairly plain sauce, then cook onion and garlic in the same pot, add tomato paste, a splash of red wine, and tinned tomato, along with a bay leaf and cinnamon stick, the same warm spicing that runs through so much Greek braised meat cookery.

The long braise

Return the beef to the pot with enough water to almost cover, and simmer gently, covered, for around two hours, considerably longer than the equivalent lamb dish typically needs, until the beef is completely tender and pulls apart easily. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick, and reduce the sauce uncovered for the final stretch if it needs thickening.

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