Beef and Pumpkin Stew
We love this simple winter stew. Lots of pumpkin and root vegetables help to ‘spin out’ the rich stewing beef. Celeriac also works well here and the stew improves in flavour over several days. Serve with fluffy mashed potato or colcannon.
Serves 6
extra virgin olive oil
700g (1 1/2lb)stewing beef, cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) chunks
300g (10oz) onions,chopped
350g (12oz) carrots,cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
375g (13oz) pumpkin,cut into chunks
225g (8oz) parsnips,cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces
300ml (10fl oz/1 1/4cups) beef stock or water
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lots of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley or Gremolata (see recipe), to serve
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, season the meat and brown in batches in the hotpan. Transfer to a casserole, then toss the vegetables, one at at ime, in the hot oil to caramelise slightly. Then add to the casserole. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes (optional), add the beef stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 45 minutes –1 hour until the meat and vegetables are tender. Scatter with lots of freshly chopped parsley or drizzle with gremolata.
Gremolata
4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) parsley, preferably flat-leaf, chopped
1 generous teaspoon grated or finely
chopped lemon zest
2 garlic cloves,finely chopped
To make the gremolata, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Taken from Grow,Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen published by Kyle Books
