Darina Allen: Three comforting beef stew and casserole recipes to enjoy this winter

Darina shares three wholesome recipes to enjoy this winter

Oops, that was fast, it seems like a few days ago it was summer then suddenly it feels like winter and I’m longing for bubbly stews and casseroles.

In these days of constantly rising costs and prices, hearty stews and casseroles really deliver bang for your buck in terms of flavour and nutrients. The secret is inexpensive cuts of meat and long, slow cooking.

Do you have an old stove, put the stew pot into the bottom oven and let it bubble away for hours, otherwise invest in a slow cooker, the slower the stew or casserole is cooked, the more meltingly tender the end result will be.

For this column, I’ll concentrate on beef.

Beef short ribs are particularly rich and delicious.

Beef shin, also deeply beefy, is one of the best cuts to come from a cow. Oxtail has the very best flavour.

Beef shin costs half nothing and is packed with collagen. While it cooks, the gelatine gradually melts into the liquid creating a thick, flavourful rich sauce.

Winter is root vegetable season.

The irony is one needs less meat with these flavourful cuts. Add lots and lots of carrots, parsnips, swede turnip, celeriac to bulk out the stew and add extra deliciousness.

One can just pile everything into the casserole but if time allows, it’s really worth browning the meat and vegetables in hot tallow for beef or extra virgin olive oil. The flavour from the caramelised edges will be infinitely more delicious.

About three-quarters way through cooking, I often cover the stew with a layer of potatoes, so they absorb the flavour from the stew.

Another favourite is to toss in a can of drained chickpeas or butter beans a few minutes from the end of cooking to add volume and extra nourishment.

Scatter with lots of fresh herbs before serving to add freshness. Stews and casseroles taste even better the next day or the day after.

When most of the meals and vegetables have been eaten, you may have just a small amount of sauce left. Toss it over pasta and add lots of freshly grated cheese and freshly chopped herbs for a hearty supper.

So, time to visit your local butcher and have a good chat about the deliciousness of cheaper cuts, go out of your way to find organic meat, but you’ll get real value when you start to experiment with the lesser known cuts – you’ll wonder why it took you so long to discover them.

Winter Beef Stew with Polenta

recipe by:Darina Allen

Of all the beef stews I make, this is the favourite. It can be made in large quantities plus it reheats and freezes brilliantly.

Servings

6

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 285g sliced onions

• 2 large carrots, cut into 1cm slices

• 1.35kg well hung stewing beef or lean flank, trimmed of any excess fat and cut into 4cm pieces

• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour

• 150ml red wine

• 150ml homemade beef stock

• 250ml homemade tomato purée or 3-4 tbsp of best quality concentrated tomato purée mixed with 225ml water or 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 175g sliced mushrooms

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• For the gremolata

• 4 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

• 1 generous tsp grated or finely chopped lemon zest

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• For the polenta (optional)

• 1 level dsp salt

• 225g coarse polenta (bramata)

• 110g butter

• 85-110g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a casserole over a gentle heat, add the onions and carrots, cover with a lid and sweat for 10 minutes.

3. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan until almost smoking. Sear the beef on all sides, then add to the casserole.

4. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine, stock and tomato purée to the frying pan, bring to the boil and then add to the casserole. Season the casserole with salt and pepper, cover and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, depending on the cut of meat.

5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan over a high heat, sauté the mushrooms and add to thecasserole with the parsley about 15 minutes before the end of cooking.

6. To make the polenta, pour 1.7 litres water into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil, then add the salt and sprinkle in the polenta very slowly, letting it slip gradually through your fingers, whisking all the time (this should take 2-3 minutes).

7. Bring to the boil and when it starts to erupt like a volcano, reduce the heat to the absolute minimum - use a heat diffuser mat if you have one.

8. Cook for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly. I use a whisk at the beginning but as soon as the polenta comes to the boil I change to a flat-bottomed wooden spoon. (If you stir constantly over a slightly higher heat, the cooking time can be reduced to about 20 minutes, but it is more digestible if cooked slowly over a longer period.)

9. The polenta is cooked when it is very thick but not solid and comes away from the sides of the pan as you stir.

10. As soon as the polenta is cooked, stir in the butter, Parmesan and lots of freshly ground pepper. Taste and add a little more salt if necessary. It should be soft and flowing; if it is a little too stiff, add some boiling water.

11. Just before you’re ready to serve, make the gremolata by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

12. Serve the casserole topped with the gremolata, if using, with the polenta, colcannon, mash or noodles and a good green salad alongside, as you wish.

Beef and Oxtail Stew with Vegetables

recipe by:Darina Allen

This is another humble dish, which has recently been resurrected by trendy chefs who are capitalising on their customer’s nostalgic craving for their gran’s cooking. Use the leftover stew as a sauce for pasta.

Servings

6

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 whole oxtails

• 450g shin of beef or stewing beef, cut into 4cm cubes

• 110g streaky bacon

• 25g beef dripping or 2 tbsp olive oil

• 225g finely chopped onion

• 225g carrots, cut into 2cm cubes

• 125g parsnips, cut into 2cm cubes

• 55g chopped celery

• 1 tbsp homemade tomato purée

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 sprig of thyme

• Parsley stalks

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 150ml red wine

• 450ml homemade beef stock or 600ml all beef stock

• 175g mushrooms, sliced

• 15g roux (made with equal quantities of flour and butter, cooked on a low heat, stirring occasionally)

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. First, cut the oxtail into pieces through the natural joints – the joints are made of cartilage, so you won’t need a saw. If this seems like too much of a challenge, ask your butcher to disjoint the oxtail for you.

2. Cut the bacon into 2.5cm cubes.

3. Heat the dripping or olive oil in a frying pan, add the bacon and sauté for 1-2minutes, add the vegetables, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Transfer into a casserole. Add the beef and oxtail pieces to the pan, a few at a time and continue to cook until the meat is beginning to brown. Add to the casserole.

5. Add the wine and 150ml of stock to the pan. Bring to the boil and use a whisk to dissolve the caramelised meat juices from the pan, bring to the boil. Add to the casserole with the herbs, stock and tomato purée. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook either on top of the stove or in a preheated oven 160°C/Gas Mark 3 very gently for 2-3 hours, or until the oxtail and vegetables are very tender.

6. Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in a hot frying pan in a little butter for 2-3 minutes.

7. Stir into the oxtail stew and cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef and oxtail to a hot serving dish and keep warm. Remove and discard the bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks.

8. Bring the liquid back to the boil, whisk in a little roux and cook until slightly thickened. Add back in the meat and chopped parsley. Bring to the boil, taste and correct the seasoning. Serve in the hot serving dish with lots of champ.

Braised Short Ribswith Scallion Mash

recipe by:Darina Allen

Short ribs deliver so much ‘bang for your buck’, tons of rich deep flavour from an inexpensive cut of meat that’s so worth knowing about. This stew reheats brilliantly and when I have a tiny saucy bit leftover, I use it as a sauce with pasta.

Servings

10

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 6 cross cut beef short ribs, trimmed

• 225g streaky bacon (in a piece if possible. Remove rind, dice bacon, fry out fat in 1 tbsp olive oil or duck fat)

• 225g sliced carrot

• 175g diced celery

• 6-8 cloves garlic, cut in half

• 1 chilli, sliced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1 yellow pepper, diced

• 2-3 large onions

• (1 sliced – the other 2 chopped)

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 200-250ml red wine

• 1 sprig of rosemary

• 2 bay leaves

• Small fistful of thyme sprigs

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 3 spirals of orange zest

• Beef or chicken stock

• Roux (optional)

• Parsley, roughly chopped

• Scallion mash or baked potatoes, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C/Gas Mark 3

2. If possible, trim and salt the beef the night before cooking.

3. Remove rind and dice the bacon. Save the rind to cook with the beef, it adds gelatine to the sauce.

4. Heat a little oil in a wide sauté pan and brown the bacon dice.

5. Remove to a plate.

6. Brown the beef in batches; do not overcrowd the sauté pan. Leave 2 tbsp of fat in the pan and sweat the onion, carrot and celery, stirring to dissolve all browned bits in the sauté pan. Add the garlic, chilli and peppers and sweat for 5-6 minutes or until limp.

7. Place the beef, bacon and vegetables in a casserole or heavy braising pot, preferably enamelled cast iron.

8. Add the tomato paste to the hot sauté pan and cook briefly. Add wine and bring to the boil. Pour this over the beef, add the herbs, cinnamon stick and orange zest and enough stock to come halfway up the pot. Bring back to the boil. Cover with a paper lid and a tight fitting lid. Braise in a moderate oven 160˚C/Gas Mark 3 to low oven 150˚C/Gas Mark 2 until tender, 3-4½ hours (depending on size). Pour off the liquid, allow to settle.

9. Skim the fat off the top (keep for roast potatoes). Remove the herbs and bones from the pot if you wish. Bring back to the boil. Thicken the juices with a little roux if desired. Taste and correct seasoning. Add back into the pot. Scatter with coarsely chopped parsley

Seasonal Journal

Cork and Kerry Food Festival

The Cork and Kerry Food Festival takes place on October 31 and November 1 at Cork City Hall. A weekend of local artisan food with live cookery demonstrations, food talks and seminars, explore the English Market and meet the producers.

• Instagram @corkkerryfoodfestival

Order your turkey early for Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner so don’t delay….Get your order in for a beautiful free-range organic bronze turkey or a plump goose. Sounds like there may be a shortage of birds this year. Fewer and fewer farmers are rearing birds because of growing costs and fewer and fewer processing facilities open to artisans.

A few suggestions:

Regan Organic Farm Drinagh, Co. Wexford

• reganorganicfarm.ie

Coolanowle Organic Farm (organic turkeys and free-range geese), Co. Carlow

• organicmeat.ie

Caviston’s Food Emporium, Co. Dublin.

• cavistons.com