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This is the perfect time of year for some delicious comfort food that you can make from scratch with the best of ingredients. Keep an eye out for Bord Bia Quality Assured beef – it is the best. I have mentioned Carol’s Stock Market (homemade chicken and beef stock as well as bone broth) before, and they are now part of the Simply Better range and doing fantastically. You will see them as Best in Ireland in the new McKenna Guide. I sometimes add butter beans or haricot beans or cannellini to this beef hot pot recipe and serve it with steamed rice.
This stir-fried steak chilli is quick, easy and flavoursome. I love the combination of beef and veg with a bit of a spicy kick. I normally serve this with Blanco Niño tortilla chips, which are made in Clonmel. Or you could use noodles, or steamed rice. This delicious dinner will take you about 20 minutes.
Happy Cooking,
Neven
Beef and carrot hot pot
Serves 4
25g (1oz) plain flour
300g (11oz) stewing steak pieces
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 carrots, roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
600ml (1 pint) beef or chicken stock (from a cube is fine)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
500g (1lb 2oz) baby new potatoes, halved
5g (¼oz) fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Put the flour in a bowl and season, then add the beef pieces and toss until evenly coated. Heat a flameproof casserole or heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat. Add the oil, then add the beef and quickly sear it on all sides until golden brown.
2 Add the onion and carrots to the casserole, stirring to coat. Sauté for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.
3 Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add the baby potatoes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for one hour, until meltingly tender but still holding their shape.
4 Strip the leaves from the parsley and roughly chop. Ladle the beef and carrot hot pot into bowls and scatter over the parsley to serve.
Stir-fried steak chilli
Serves four
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
400g (14oz) stir-fry steak strips
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 tbsp Spicy Red Pepper and Herb Seasoning or Cajun seasoning
1 mild long red chilli, deseeded and cut into rings (optional)
1 x 400g (14oz) tin of finely chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g (14oz) tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp caster sugar
1 lime
handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 x 200g (7oz) packet of sea salt tortilla chips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the oil, then tip in the steak and season. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until lightly browned.
2 Add the onion and pepper and stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes, until softened and browning around the edges.
3 Scatter over the spicy red pepper and herb or the Cajun seasoning and the chilli (if using, reserving a little to garnish) and cook for one minute. Pour in the tomatoes, beans, sugar and the juice of half the lime. Allow to bubble down for a minute or two.
4 Divide the stir-fried steak chilli between bowls and scatter over the coriander with the rest of the chilli (if using). Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges to squeeze on top.
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