Beef Recipes
Beef and chorizo stew
Slow-cooked beef with chorizo and red wine in a stew that won’t disappoint, especially with mash and dumplings.
Ingredients
For the beef
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg/2lb 4oz shin of beef, cut into 4cm/1½in pieces
- 225g/8oz chorizo, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, cut to same size as beef
- 2 large parsnips, cut to same size as beef
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 300ml/½ pint red wine
- 600ml/1 pint beef stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dumplings
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour
- pinch salt
- 100g/4oz shredded suet
- 1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
For the mash
- 900g/2lb potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 25g/1oz fresh grated horseradish, or to taste
- 25g/1oz butter
- about 100ml/4floz single cream
Method
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For the beef, make sure there are two available shelves in your oven and preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 3. Heat the olive oil in a flameproof casserole and brown the beef. (You will need to do this in batches, so don’t overcrowd the pan.) Using a slotted spoon, lift out the meat and set aside.
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Add the chorizo and onion to the pan and fry until softened and the fat runs from the chorizo.
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Add the carrots and parsnips and continue to cook until tinged with colour and beginning to soften. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over the wine and stirring constantly, bring to the boil. Stir in the beef stock.
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Return the beef to the pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a tight fitting lid and braise on the bottom shelf of the oven for two hours, or until the meat is tender – check during the cooking time to ensure that the meat doesn’t become too dry. If it does, add a splash of boiled water.
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For the dumplings, line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add the suet and rosemary and bind together with enough cold water to form a soft dough.
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Using floured hands and working as lightly fingered as possible, divide the mixture into eight and shape into oval dumplings. Place on a baking tray slightly spaced apart.
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Bake the dumplings on the shelf above the beef for the last 25 minutes of the beef’s cooking time, until they are puffed up and cooked through.
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Meanwhile, for the mash, boil the potatoes in a pan of boiling, salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and press through a potato ricer into a warm bowl. Mix in the horseradish, butter and cream. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Serve the mash with the beef and dumplings.
Beef and chorizo stew