The weather was wild! Brooding clouds and the ominous squawks of crows filled the air. This Little Pig leapt into the car with Paisley the greyhound and tore down to the local butchers, “your finest stewing beef and step on it good sir!” This Little Pig yelled with gusto as it feverishly plucked winter veg from the green grocer next door. Home just in time for the rain to start spitting, This Little Pig felt very smug as veggies were chopped, onions & beef browned and a slow cooked beef stew was put on low to simmer away for the afternoon, warming the house and filling it with the promise of deliciousness!
Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Parsnip, Sweet Potato Mash & Lemon Brussel Sprouts.
Prep Time: 15 Mins. Cooking Time: 4 Hours.
Ingredients:
For the Stew:
700g x Beef Round Diced
2 x Carrots
4 x Celery Sticks
6 x Mushrooms
1 x Brown Onion
4 x Garlic Cloves
2 x Tbs Gourmet Stock
2 x Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
2 x Bay Leaves
2 x Tbs Mixed Herbs
1 x Tsp Chilli Flakes (or a Tbs depending on your tastes)
1 x Tbs Paprika
2 x Whole Tomato Tins
2 x Tbs Olive Oil
1 x Bottle of Red Wine (1/2 for you & 1/2 for the pot)
Salt & Pepper for Seasoning
1 x Fresh Parsley Bunch for Serving
For the Brussels:
14 x Brussel Sprouts
1 x Lemon
Scrunch of Pepper
For the Mash:
3 x Parsnips
1 x Large Sweet Potato
1 x Tbs Gourmet Stock
1 x Tbs Dijon Mustard
1 x Garlic Clove
2 x Tbs Sweet Chilli Sauce
½ x Parsley Bunch
30g x Persian Fetta
½ x Tsp Pepper
½ x Tsp Nutmeg
30g x Butter
Method For Beef Stew:
- Season meat with salt and pepper.
- Peel and roughly chop garlic and onion.
- Quarter Mushrooms and chop celery and carrot into 4 cm bite sized chunks.
- Heat olive oil in pan and pour in your garlic and onion, cook until starting to turn translucent.
- Pop in your beef and cook until lightly browned on all sides.
- Scatter over your gourmet stock, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, mixed herbs, bay leaves and chilli flakes and mix through.
- Pour in your chopped up carrot, mushroom and celery and mix through your tinned tomatoes.
- Keep on high until bubbling, and then reduce heat to low, pop on your lid and leave to simmer for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours pour in half a bottle of red (if you make it a good quality one you can have the rest with your stew when it’s ready!) and continue to cook for a further 2 hours or until the vegetables break down and the meat falls off in strips.
Method for Mash (prepare 15 mins before serving time):
- Chop vegetables into bite sized chunks and gently pop into a large pot of water with the gourmet stock.
- Heat pot of stock water until boiling and cook for around 10 mins or until vegetables are soft through.
- Peel and very finely dice garlic clove and finely dice parsley (removing stalks).
- Reserving one cup of the stock water, drain the vegetables, then return to the pot with the reserved stock water.
- Drop in your butter, sweet chilli, Dijon mustard, diced garlic clove, nutmeg, feta, pepper, diced parsley and mash wildly.
Method for Brussels (prepare 10 mins before serving time):
- Boil kettle.
- Chop of the bases of the Brussels and peel the outer layer of leaves off.
- Place in a bowl and pour the boiling water over the top of them and cover with a plate.
- Leave to cook for around 5-7 mins or until cooked but still lightly crunchy.
- Drain, then squeeze your lemon over the top and finish with a good scrunch of pepper.
To serve the whole delightful thing:
Dish out your glorious creamy mash; pop a side of lemony Brussels onto the plate and then ladle out your fragrant slow cooked beef stew. Top with some freshly chopped parsley and a further scrunch of pepper and then tuck in and warm yourself up dear piglets!
