Mamma Mia! and Artisan Kitchen: March 3, 4 and 5!

Stifado, moussaka and baklava just like mamma mia used to make! Be sure to reserve seats for the fabulous Greek-inspired gourmet buffet at the Carson Center prior to Mamma Mia!, playing Tuesday, March 3 through Thursday, March 5.

The dinner, served in the beautiful Myre River Room, begins at 6 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Dinner is served all three nights, which means you'll have great access to parking, no need to wait in a restaurant, and regardless of the weather, you'll show up dry and warm for the show.

Dinner tix are just $28.50 — purchase by calling the Carson Center box office, 450.4444.

Here's what you'll find on the buffet:

Greek Salad with feta, kalamata olives, green pepper and vinaigrette
Fresh Fruit Salad

Stifado, a Greek Stew with pearl onions, beef and tomatoes.
Vegetarian Moussaka
Basmati Rice with pine nuts and fennel
Sautéed Haricot Verts with red onion and lemon

Baklava, a traditional Greek dessert

Below are some notes from David and Karla of Artisan Kitchen. For more of their kitchen secrets, visit the Artisan Kitchen Resource Center blog!

Stifado is a very hardy dish traditionally done with lamb or venison. Our version is done with beef, seared in olive oil with onion and then simmered with tomatoes, red wine, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, allspice berries, rosemary, thyme and whole peppercorns. Potatoes and carrots are added part way through the cooking process. The result is a very rich, seasoned stew.


Our Vegetarian Moussaka is a twist on the traditional, which would be made with lamb. We use thin slices of potato and eggplant, and layer that between layers of feta cheese and a light tomato sauce of onions and chickpeas with a hint of nutmeg.



Our Baklava has a combination of almonds and walnuts in a very sweet and buttery filling. This gets layered between sheets of phyllo dough, drizzled with an orange and lemon infused syrup and baked.

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Here's David's Stifado recipe:

This is one of those dishes that has endless variations on the recipe. So here is how I do it. This will serve at least four people.

• 1.5 lbs. beef, lamb or venison cut into 1-inch cubes.
• 1 large onion cut into a thick julienne strips, or about 2 cups of pearl onions
• 1.5 pounds of potatoes (Baby red potatoes are really nice, but a russet potato cut into chunky pieces will work as well.)
• 1.5 pounds of baby carrots or regular carrots cut into chunky pieces
• 1 cup red wine
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 3-4 ripe, juicy tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 bay leaves
• About 1 tsp. of each of the following in a tea ball:
  • Dried rosemary
  • Thyme
  • Allspice berries
  • Peppercorns
  • 3-5 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Begin by assembling and prepping all the ingredients as instructed. Put the potatoes and carrots in a pot of salted water and bring to boil, simmering for about 15 minutes or just until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the olive oil and begin searing the beef, salting and peppering to taste. (I generally salt and pepper a dish all the way through the cooking process, keeping it adjusted as I go. I also hardly ever get to the finished product with any appetite left. I‘m constantly tasting as I add ingredients.)

Once the beef is lightly seared, add the onions. Once they are slightly translucent, it's time to add the red wine, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, tomatoes, tomato paste, the tea ball with all of the herbs and spices, the cinnamon sticks and the bay leaves. Stir together gently, making sure not to pop open the tea ball or break up the bay leaves. Bring this to a simmer.

After about 10 minutes, transfer to a baking dish, add the potatoes and carrots, gently stir again and cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven, pick out the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and tea ball, stir and serve.

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