076Corfiot sofrito

Method

Traditional Corfiot garlic-vinegar style. Traditionally accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes, thick chips, or boiled white rice to mop up the pungent sauce.

You will need

• wide sauté pan or deep skillet with lid
• meat mallet
• tongs

1. Season the pounded beef slices with sea salt and black pepper, then dredge each piece in plain flour, shaking off all excess. 6 min Ready when: Light, even coating of flour on all meat.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat and sear the beef slices in quick batches for 1 to 2 minutes per side until lightly coloured but not heavily browned, transferring them to a platter. 8 min Ready when: Meat seared without turning tough.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to low, and add the sliced garlic, cooking gently for 1 minute without letting it take on any dark colour. 1 min Ready when: Garlic fragrant and translucent, not bitter.
4. Pour in the white wine vinegar and let it bubble sharply for 1 minute until the pungent steam calms. 1 min Ready when: Sharp vinegar vapours soften.
5. Add the dry white wine and warm beef stock or water, stirring to blend with any flour residues from the pan. 2 min Ready when: Liquid forms a pale, cohesive base.
6. Return the beef slices and resting juices to the pan in overlapping layers, and scatter the chopped parsley generously across the top. 2 min Ready when: Parsley covers the braise.
7. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the beef is very tender and the flour from the steaks has bound the liquid into a silky sauce. 22 min Ready when: Sauce thickens into a glossy, velvety gravy.
8. Remove from heat, check seasoning for salt and pepper, and allow to rest 3 minutes before serving. 3 min Ready when: Sauce settles to coat the back of a spoon.

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Make ahead and storing

Can be cooked 2 to 3 hours ahead; warm gently over low heat, adding a splash of hot water if the sauce becomes overly thick.

Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days; reheat slowly so the beef remains tender.

Substitutions

• rose veal escalopes for beef topside or rump steaks. Veal is historically favoured in Corfu town, producing an even more delicate texture.

Common mistakes

• Browning or burning the garlic. Browned garlic turns unpleasantly bitter and ruins the sweet-and-sour clarity of the white sauce.
• Overcooking the floured meat during the initial fry. The beef should only be lightly sealed initially; over-searing hardens thin escalopes before they braise.

Regional variants

• Veal sofrito (moschari gala sofrito)
• Sofrito with a splash of local dry white wine and no stock

About the dish

Sofrito is one of Corfu's classic hallmarks, derived linguistically from the Italian 'soffritto' (to fry gently), yet evolved into an entirely distinct dish. Unlike the Italian base of diced mirepoix or Spanish sofrito sauce, Corfiot sofrito consists of thin veal or beef escalopes dredged in flour, quick-fried, and then gently simmered in an abundance of sliced garlic, fresh flat-leaf parsley, sharp white wine vinegar, and dry white wine until a thick, tangy white emulsion coats the tender meat.

Found in Ionian Islands. Cooked for sunday lunch, everyday.

Cousins elsewhere

• Fegato alla veneziana (Italian). Shares the sharp white wine and vinegar deglazing tradition rooted in Venetian heritage.
• Scaloppine al vino bianco (Italian). Both dredge thin beef or veal escalopes in plain flour and pan-fry them before braising in a wine pan sauce.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

581 kcal · protein 46.5 g · fat 32.3 g (saturated 7.3 g) · carbohydrate 17.9 g (sugars 0.5 g) · fibre 0.7 g · sodium 118 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Corfiot bourgeois cooking from the Venetian era, relying on quick flour-thickened pan sauces balanced with garlic and vinegar..