That’s an understatement. It’s f*cking freezing.
I swear there hasn’t been a winter this cold since I moved back to London. I have swapped my pretty fur trim gloves for big thick things that look like they belong in a boxing ring and still I can’t feel my hands by the time I get home. In fact yesterday I couldn’t feel anything below my knees either, which led to a very embarrassing tumble outside Tesco.
Even in weather like this, I still get bored of stews so I’ve been trying to vary them as much as possible. Veal blanquette has made an appearance as has a spicy root vegetable and lentil curry but this week’s favourite was the one below.It’s an interesting combination of flavours: slow cooked beef with warm spice, sweet sultanas and a slight bitterness from the pepper.I blogged it a few years ago before my hard drive crashed but that page is in quite a state so it is worth reproducing.
Cephalonian Beef Stew
- 3-4 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 very small, or half a large green pepper, cored, deseeded, sliced
- 200g stewing braising steak
- half a small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- a handful of sultanas
- 3-5 cloves
- a splash (capful) of red wine vinegar
- 400ml beef stock
- a heaped tsp of crushed coriander seeds
- 1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
- cooked tagliatelle, tossed in marscapone and nutmeg to serve
- Brown the beef in a medium suacepan (I needed to split it into 2 batches). Remove the heat and set aside.
- In the same pan sautee the peppers until soft. Remove and set aside.
- Add the shallots to the pan and allow to soften.
- Return the beef to the pan and stir in the spices.
- Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped squash, vinegar and and simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the beef is tender and the squash soft.
- Stir the peppers back into the pan
- Taste and season and serve over the tagliatelle.
That’s an understatement. It’s f*cking freezing.
I swear there hasn’t been a winter this cold since I moved back to London. I have swapped my pretty fur trim gloves for big thick things that look like they belong in a boxing ring and still I can’t feel my hands by the time I get home. In fact yesterday I couldn’t feel anything below my knees either, which led to a very embarrassing tumble outside Tesco.
Even in weather like this, I still get bored of stews so I’ve been trying to vary them as much as possible. Veal blanquette has made an appearance as has a spicy root vegetable and lentil curry but this week’s favourite was the one below.It’s an interesting combination of flavours: slow cooked beef with warm spice, sweet sultanas and a slight bitterness from the pepper.I blogged it a few years ago before my hard drive crashed but that page is in quite a state so it is worth reproducing.
Cephalonian Beef Stew
- 3-4 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 very small, or half a large green pepper, cored, deseeded, sliced
- 200g stewing braising steak
- half a small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
- a handful of sultanas
- 3-5 cloves
- a splash (capful) of red wine vinegar
- 400ml beef stock
- a heaped tsp of crushed coriander seeds
- 1 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
- cooked tagliatelle, tossed in marscapone and nutmeg to serve
- Brown the beef in a medium suacepan (I needed to split it into 2 batches). Remove the heat and set aside.
- In the same pan sautee the peppers until soft. Remove and set aside.
- Add the shallots to the pan and allow to soften.
- Return the beef to the pan and stir in the spices.
- Add the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped squash, vinegar and and simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the beef is tender and the squash soft.
- Stir the peppers back into the pan
- Taste and season and serve over the tagliatelle.
