Sofrito (stew) — Corfu, Greece

Sofrito is a stew of thinly sliced meat, usually beef or veal, braised gently in a sauce built mainly around garlic, white wine and vinegar. The name, borrowed from the Italian word for a base of slowly cooked aromatics, points to the long exchange between the island and Venetian and Italian cooking, though the dish itself has taken its own shape in local kitchens over time. On AllGastronomy, this page records the version cooked on Corfu, the Ionian island off the western coast of Greece, where the dish is closely associated with both everyday meals and festive tables, and where several tavernas list it as a house specialty. To prepare it, thin slices of beef are lightly floured and browned in olive oil, then simmered slowly with a generous amount of crushed garlic, white wine vinegar, white wine, a bay leaf or two and a little water, until the meat turns tender and the liquid reduces into a thick, garlicky coating that clings to each slice. Some cooks stir in chopped parsley toward the end of cooking for freshness, while others let the sauce reduce further for a stronger bite. On Corfu, the dish is usually served with rice, mashed potato or fried potato wedges, which soak up the sharp, garlicky sauce. The exact balance between vinegar and wine, the amount of garlic used, and how far the sauce is reduced vary from one household and one taverna to another, each keeping its own way of finishing the dish without any single version standing as a reference for the rest.