Cook Featured Food 

Autumn Stews

Nothing feels like Autumn more than a hearty stew on a cold evening. Bring family and friends together for some delicious dishes to warm your hands and heart.

Traditional Beef Stew

A one pot wonder perfect when cooking for a crowd.

Ingredients – Serves 5-6

850g stewing beef , cut into nice large chunks
2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
1 onion, diced
2 large carrot, rough diced in to large chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
5 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 beef stock cube, crumbled

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/gas 3. Put the kettle on.
  2. Put the celery, onion, carrots, bay and 1 thyme sprig in a casserole with the oil and the butter. Soften for 10 mins, then stir in the flour until it is combined and cooked thoroughly. Follow this with the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cubes.
  3. Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, then tip in the beef and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and put in the oven for 2hrs 30 mins. After that uncover and cook for 30mins – 1hr more until the sauce has reduced and the meat is tender.
  4. Serve with dumplings or mash potato

 

Baked squid with chilli tomato sauce

Ask your fishmonger to clean and prepare the squid for you, make sure they keep each body sack whole for stuffing

Ingredients – Serves 4

Medium to large squid 4, cleaned and prepared

For the stuffing:
150g breadcrumbs
6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
Grated zest of a lemon
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Olive oil 6 tbsp
1 large tomato

For the sauce:
1 medium onion
2 tbsps olive oil
1 red chilli
3 large tomatoes
1 red pepper
200ml vegetable stock

  1. Mix the breadcrumbs, chopped anchovy fillets, the zest of the lemon, the parsley, olive oil in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper.
  2. Roughly chop the tomato into small dice and mix into the rest of the stuffing.
  3. Place the squid bodies on a chopping board and fill with the stuffing using a teaspoon. Push the stuffing along the body with your fingers, getting as much as you can in without splitting the skin. Place the stuffed squid in an oven proof dish. If there is any stuffing left over scatter it over the dish. Add the tentacles into the dish.
  4. Preheat the oven at 180C/gas mark 4
  5. Make the sauce: peel and roughly chop the onion. Soften the onion in the olive oil in a deep saucepan. Halve, seed and finely chop the chilli and add to the onion. Roughly chop the tomatoes and thinly slice the pepper (discarding the core and seeds), then stir into the softening onion.
  6. Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes continually stirring until all ingredients are soft. Pour in the stock, season and cook for a few minutes.
  7. Spoon the sauce over the squid and bake for 45 minutes until piping hot.
  8. Serve with a fresh salad and bread for mopping the sauce up.

 

 Bean and Chestnut Stew

A delicious vegetarian stew for Autumn months. We recommend borlotti beans but any firm, cooked beans can be used. We also like butter beans or haricot.

Ingredients – Serves 4

400g tin borlotti beans
250g chestnuts, ready cooked (vacuum packed are the easiest to use)
2 medium leeks, cut into thin rounds
2 tbsps olive oil
2 medium carrots, cut into thick rounds
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
4 sage leaves
2 large sprigs of rosemary
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
200ml red wine
300ml water
1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 bay leaf
2 red chillies
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tbsp soya sauce
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large lidded saucepan and sauté the leeks until softened.
  2. Add the carrots, garlic, sage, rosemary and oregano, cook for a few minutes with the lid on to brown the edges.
  3. Stir in the flour and cook out for a few minutes. Follow this with the red wine, water, vegetable bouillon powder, bay leaf, chillies, tomatoes and soy sauce.
  4. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the carrots are al dente.
  5. Add the borlotti beans and chestnuts. Check the seasoning and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  6. Finish with chopped parsley and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.
  7. Serve with potato rostis or fresh bread rolls.

 

Related posts

Leave a Comment