Slow-Cooked Beef Stew

I love the flavour of slow cooked beef, and I love eating stews this time of year when it starts getting cooler. But I hate overcooked, mushy vegetables. This recipe takes a bit more work in the kitchen, but in the end gives me the best of both, tender, fall apart beef and cubed root veggies which still have their shape and texture.

slow-cooked beef stew

You will need:

• 2 pounds beef - I get a mixture of oxtail and stewing beef or skirt cut into cubes. 
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 small, or 1/2 large swede, peeled and chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• any other veggies you want to add
• water
• Worcestershire sauce

  

  Assorted veg and herbs for an Autumn stew

• 2 tablespoons corn flour/corn starch
• 1 tablespoon cool water

1. Place the beef into a slow-cooker along with the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and water. Set on low and leave to cook for at least 6 hours, but let it go for as long as you can. I will usually put it all in the pot the night before and leave it to slow cook overnight and through the day. Otherwise, put it all in the pot in the morning and let it cook through the day.

2. About 45 minutes before you're ready to eat, remove the beef from the slow cooker to a tray and strain the stock into a large pot. Add in all the chopped vegetables, topping with water if needed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 15 - 20 minutes or until the vegetables are all cooked.
Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce. 

3. Make a thin paste using the corn flour and water and add to the pot, stir until it begins to thicken. Remove the ox-tail bones from the meat, shred, and add it all to the pot.

4. Let simmer a few more minutes until it is all piping hot.

Serve in a bowl with thick slices of bread.

Alternately, leave the potatoes out of the mix of root vegetables and make a separate pan of mashed potatoes. Serve the stew over the mash.


 The beef: I like using cheaper cuts of beef as they will be cooked for a long while. Skirt steak has very long muscle fibres that can become very, very tough if not cooked properly. Make sure to cut against the grain of the muscle when cubing. It should be either slow-cooked for several hours, or cut into strips against the grain and flash fried for a few seconds.

Ox tail provides a depth and richness to a stew. It can be quite fatty, and that can overwhelm a dish, which is why I use a combination of both skirt/stewing steak and ox-tail.

My son who does not eat stews, gravies, or any root veg besides carrots and potatoes gets a deconstructed stew with a serving of beef, a serving of mashed potatoes, some of the cooked carrots and peas.

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

When Autumn arrives and temperatures begin to drop, I like to eat foods that are a bit heartier and a bit more filling. This is when I turn to cooking stews, and one of my favourites this time of year is a beef stew.

Like many, I want to get cheaper cuts of beef to go into a beef stew. That means cuts which need to cook for low and slow in order to break down the muscle fibers which make it tough. What I don't want is to be spending 4 hours making a stew when I only have 2 hours in which to get a meal on the table.

This is where a slow-cooker becomes very handy.

Skirt steak comes from the plate cut

My favourite beef to use for making stews is the skirt steak which comes from a cut called the plate. While flavoursome and low in fat it does have very long muscle fiber strands which make it tough to eat if it isn't sliced across the grain.Sometimes you will find a touch whitish membrane covering one side of the skirt steak. Have your butcher remove it, or trim it off yourself before trying to cut up the meat.

Skirt steak is also popular for making beef fajitas and Asian stir-fries.

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 - 8 hours

Ingredients list:
1 pound beef skirt, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into cubes
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
2 medium onions, cut into large chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tins water

Method:
Place all of the ingredients into a slow-cooker. Turn the device onto low heat and leave to cook for 6 - 8 hours. I usually put everything into the pot the night before, then turn it on before leaving the house in the morning.

Before serving, taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Serve with bread or over boiled potatoes. 

Jut about any vegetable can be used for this stew. I contemplating adding some chopped cavolo nero, peas and sweetcorn, or a tin of chopped tomatoes, and may just try one of two of these combinations in my next stew.

You will notice that I don't add potatoes to my beef stew. This is because I have found that they break down too much from the longer cooking time. I much prefer cooking them up separately for this reason.

If you don't have a slow-cooker, place all of the ingredients into a covered oven proof stewing pot, like the SKK stew pot I use, and cook at a  low temperature (gas mark 2 /300f/150c) for 3 - 4 hours.

Beef enchiladas

This is another dish I like that can be made using less expensive cuts of beef because the core components

Beef enchiladas

cook for a long time at a low temperature. The longer you can give it to cook the better as that will allow flavours to combine.

This recipe makes 4 generous servings, or 6 smaller servings with a side salad and perhaps a spoonful of refried beans.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless beef
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 clove garlic crushed and minced
• 2 large red chilli peppers, seeded and chopped (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/8 tsp ground chilli (adjust to taste)
• 1 tomato tin of water
• 6 - 8 corn tortillas
• 1 cup grated extra mature cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Combine beef, tomatoes, chillies, onion, garlic, salt, cumin, turmeric, and ground dried chilli in a large ovenproof saucepan, over a moderate flame. Add a can full of water.
2. Bring it up to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and place in a low heat oven (gas mark 2 -3) for 3 - 4 hours, until tender. Add more liquid if necessary.
3. Remove from heat, cool.
4. Remove beef, shred with a fork, set aside, reduce liquid slightly if needed.
5. Spoon a few tablespoons of the sauce into the meat and place 2 - 3 spoonfuls into a 9x13x2-inch, buttered baking dish.
6. Place a small bit of the beef onto each tortilla. Roll up and place into baking dish.
7. Pour the remaining sauce over the top.
8. Top with grated cheese.
9. Bake at about 350F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
10. Garnish with sour cream, olives, and spring onions if you wish.

 Slow-cooker method

Reduce the water to half a tin. Combine all of the ingredients in the slow-cooker and let cook on low for at least 8 hours. 

Remove the meat and shred. 

Transfer the sauce to a pan and reduce down if necessary before assembling the enchiladas as directed above.

Beef enchilada casserole 

Instead of rolling up individual tortillas, alternate layers of corn tortilla, shredded beef, and sauce. Top with a final layer of sauce and grated cheese. 

Bake in the oven and serve as directed above.
 

Savoury Meat Pies

Shepherd's Pie

The British savoury pie is a time honoured tradition. This is simple food at its most delicious. A steaming hot filling of gravy, vegetables, and meat surrounded by a pastry shell or topped by a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Served up on a plate with a large spoonful of fresh seasonal vegetables, it's meal fit for any table.

These pies can be the perfect way to use up cooked bits of meat and cooked vegetables from a family roast dinner. They're also good when you want to stretch a few ingredients out to feed the family. Favourites at our house include beef cottage pie, beef pie with a puff pastry topping, chicken pie, and shepherd's pie.

Cottage Pie or Shepherd's Pie

I sometimes see some confusion between these two similar pies, but it's realy very simple. A shepherd's pie is made using lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie is made using other meats like beef or chicken.

Otherwise, they're made exactly the same way.

You will need: 

Leftover roasting joint (beef, lamb, or chicken) - pull as much meat as you can off the bones then put the bone into a pot of water to make a stock.
1 large or 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
1 - 2 carrots, diced and cooked until soft in boiling water
1 cup frozen peas or corn
Herbs and spices - pick 2 or 3 that go with whatever meat you're using. For instance, rosemary goes well with lamb or beef, sage and thyme go well with chicken
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Gravy
Mashed potatoes

Chop meat in food processor

1. Roughly cut up the leftover meat and then put it into a food processor and pulse it a few times until you get the desired consistency. I prefer to have a few bigger pieces but other may way it to be completely chopped into small pieces. If you don't think you'll have enough meat, add in a couple slices of bread and chop those in as well. 

Cook onions and frozen vegetables

2. Heat about a tablespoon olive oil in a pan (I use the wok because it's big enough to do all the mixing as well) and cook the onions until the are soft. Add in the frozen peas or corn and whatever herbs or spices you might want to use. Continue stirring occasionally and cook down until you just start to see some browning on the sides of a few of the veggies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Now remove it from the heat.

3. Add in the cooked carrots and the chopped meat and mix together.

Pour over  gravy to make a wet mix

4. Use the stock to make a gravy for the pie. Pour enough of the gravy over the meat and vegetables to make a rather wet mixture. Spoon this into your casserole dish. It should be big enough to hold all of the mixture and leave a half inch minimum from the top of the dish.

Spoon mix into casserole dish

5. Mash your cooked potatoes and spoon that over the top of the mixture.

You'll need enough potatoes mashed to cover the entire top of the casserole dish to a layer of at least 1/2 inch. I generally use 5 - 6 large potatoes for a 2-quart dish. You'll want to make a dry mash, so don't add any milk and just a small amount of butter when mashing as the mash will absorb some of the moisture from the meat mixture while cooking.

Spoon mash over the top

6. Spread the mash to cover the entire mix and seal it around the edges. Using a fork run across the top to rough up the surface then dot with a bit of butter and season with salt and pepper. This will give you crunchy bits on top.

Rough up the surface with a fork

7. Place on a baking tray to catch spills and bake in a moderately hot oven (Gas Mark 6/400f/200c) for 35 - 45 minutes, until the topping is browned and the filling is hot and bubbling.

8. Serve it hot. I like to make extra gravy to pour over the top of mine

Cooked shepherd's pie ready to eat

A Chili Winter Warmer

Chilli con carne

I love cooking chilli con carne. It's a delicious meal that can be made ahead of time, can be used in a variety of other dishes, and even freezes well so can be cooked up in bulk. I know that every person who makes chili has their own trusted recipe, the one they swear by.

I've seen grown men fight over what makes the best chili. Competitions are held to see who can cook up the best chilli. Debates rage on whether a person should use minced beef or steak, beans or no beans, hot enough to make you cry or just the suggestion of spiciness.

This is my recipe. It has evolved over time. Depending on mood I will vary the amount of chilli used, making it milder or hotter. I recently discovered smoked garlic bulbs sold at our local farm shop and grown on the Isle of Wight. This, combined with smoked bacon gives my chilli a gorgeous smoky flavour.

A squeeze of lime juice and a bit of chopped coriander at the end just lifts the whole dish up. Why not give it a try for yourself. 

Nan's Chilli Recipe

• Serves: 4 - 6
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 slices smoked bacon cut into strips

  

  Cooking down onions

• 2 large onions chopped
• 1 large bell pepper seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves smoked garlic crushed and minced
• 2 green or red jalapeno chillies deseeded and chopped
• (optional) 2 large carrots diced
• (optional) 2 stalks celery diced
• 1 pound minced beef or equal amount of thinly sliced braising steak
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (double concentrate puree)
• 1 beef stock cube
•  2 heaped teaspoons (the spoon you use to stir tea) ground cumin
• 1 scant teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle chilli
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tin kidney beans in a chilli sauce (if you can't get this use 2 tins kidney beans)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 - 1 tin water
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of 1/2 lime
• handful coriander (cilantro) leaves

 

Instructions

1. Slowly brown off the bacon in a heavy bottomed pot until it is crispy. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic, and carrots and celery if using, and sauté until soft and slightly browned. Remove to a bowl.
2. Bring the fat in the pot back up to heat and add the meat. Cook until browned. Add in the tomato paste and stock cube. Stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add in the spices. Continue to stir another minute. Add in the tomatoes and beans. Add the cooked onion mix back to the pot. Add in the brown sugar and enough water to just cover the mix.
3. Stir. Bring back up to the boil. Reduce heat and cover. Let it cook for about 30 - 45 minutes, stirring every 5 - 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning after 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Just before swerving, stir in the juice of 1/2 a lime and a handful of chopped coriander leaves.

Different Ways to Eat Chilli

Result of batch cooking chilli con carne

When I make up a big pot of chili, I know that I have several different ways I can serve it.

It can be eaten as a soup, with slices of buttered bread.

It can be wrapped up in a tortilla and served up with salsa, guacamole, and soured cream.

I can even cook up a batch of penne pasta and mix the two to make a simple meal.

I can ladle it into individal portion tubs and freeze it for later use.

What's your favourite way to eat chili?

Easy Meatloaf and Mash with Gravy

I think every family has their own meatloaf recipe, sometimes passed down through generations. I like to fiddle with recipes though, and over the years have put this together to create my own meatloaf.

This goes nicely with mashed potatoes and a good rich beef stock gravy.

NanLT's Meatloaf

Nan's Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 500 gram Beef mince
• 200 gram Pork mince  or 200 gram Sausage meat
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Capers drained and finely chopped
• 3 - 4 whole anchovies, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (puree double concentrate)  or 1 tablespoon Catsup
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1/4 cup matzo meal or fine bread crumbs
• 1 Egg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 - 6 slices smoked bacon (I like to use a dry cured smoked streaky bacon)

Instructions

1. Mix the meats together. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the bacon.
2. Form into 1 large or 6 small loaves. Place in a deep baking tray and cover with the smoked bacon. When I put the meatloaf into a casserole dish, I always make a trench all the way around the outer edge then drain off some of the fat half way through cooking.
3. Cover with foil for the first 60 minutes.
4. Bake at Gas Mark 6 (400f/200c) for 75 - 90 minutes, until completely cooked and juices run runs clear.

Maris Piper Potato

Mashed Potatoes 

For most, telling you how to mash potatoes is going to be like teaching your grandma how to such eggs. But, there are people who aren't sure how to make a good mash, and this is for them. 

Potatoes are not all the same

Different potatoes are better for different food dishes. To get a good, creamy mash you first want to start with a potato that mashes. My personal choice is a good all-rounder like a Maris Piper.

How many potatoes do you need?

Figure you will need one potato per person, plus one for the pot unless they are particularly large, or small. Then adjust accordingly.

Peel and cut into 1 - 1.5 inch cubes. Remember, the smaller you cut them, the shorter the cooking time.

Place the cubed potatoe pieces into a large pot - they need room so that the water can surround all of the pieces - and cover to an inch above the potato pieces with cold water. Add in a large pinch of salt and place over the heat.

How much heat?

If you're using an electric hob, you'll want a moderately hot setting. For gas flame hobs, turn the heat up high enough the flames just hit the outer edge of the pot base, without extending up the sides.

How long?
LIke I said earlier, the smaller the cube, the shorter the cooking time. A 1 - 1.5 inch cube takes between 10 - 15 minutes once the water comes up to a boil. Check after 10 minutes, and give it a few more minutes if necessary.

The best way to check for doneness is to try to push through a cube with the side of a fork or butter knife - if it slides through easily or breaks in half the potato is cooked. If you over-boil the potatoes, the mash will be wet. Under boil, and well your mash won't mash very well and you'll end up with lumpy bits.

Don't worry if you miss on occasion. I've been making mashed potatoes for nearly 30 years and I still misjudge the timing on occasion!


On to mashing

Mashing potatoes

Drain the water and leave the potatoes in the cooking pot.

Add in a knob of butter and a splash of milk, or for an extra creamy mash instead of butter and milk, use about 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream (real cream!) - called double cream in the UK.

Add a large pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper from the pepper mill.

Give it a couple minutes if the butter needs to soften, then using a potato masher, go to it.

Beef Gravy

Okay, yes you could buy a carton of gravy ganules, mix with boiling water, and have a salt-laden beefy tasting gravy in 5 minutes.

But, you can have a really nice, rich beef gravy without all the added ingredients in the same amount of time using this method.

Bring a pint of breef stock up to a boil then reduce the heat to a very low simmer.

Mix 1 - 2 spoonfuls cornflour (corn starch) with a small amount of cold water, and stir to make a white liquid. It will all mix in, just give it a few extra stirs.

Pour the conflour water into the simmering beef stock and stir constantly until it thickens. Bring it back up to a low boil and continue stirring for 1 - 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and possibly a dash of Worcestershire Sauce.

And there you have it. One delicious home cooked meal with meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Just add a serving of your favourite green veggie to round out the meal.