Can you imagine anything better to look forward to than a bubbling pot of deliciousness, if you have a magic slow cooker or crock pot the aroma will greet you when you arrive home, battle weary after a day’s work – what could be more comforting?
There are a couple of golden rules to making a really good stew, choose the less expensive, cuts of meat more muscular such as shoulder or breast of lamb that benefit from slow cooking, flank or shin or beef, chicken thighs rather than breast which dries out easily. Some cubes of fat streaky bacon, or pickled pork add richness and a base of aromatic vegetables add sweetness. Onions, carrots, celery, perhaps a few cloves of garlic or a sprig or two of woody herbs.
Keep both the vegetables and the meat nice and chunky so they don’t disintegrate during the long slow cooking.
Sear the cubes of meat in a little goose fat of olive oil on a hot pan to start with. This simple step caramelizes the meat juices and add extra flavour, then toss the vegetables in the pan before adding to the stew pot or casserole, stock will add so much more flavour than water but a dash of wine, cider or beer, though not essential, add complexity. The seasoning is all important; a generous sprinkling of good salt and freshly ground black pepper early on will be absorbed in to the dish. You can taste and correct the seasoning at the end but it’s difficult to get it right if you’ve forgotten to season earlier.
For stewing and braising the cooking temperature is crucial, it must be slow cooking, reduce the heat the moment the liquid comes to the boil, cover the pot and keep it at a mere simmer until the meat is meltingly tender, 80°C is perfect – What food writer, Jane Grigson called “a mummer” with the liquid swirling gently but only bubbling now and then. Boiling ruins a stew!
Remember traditionally only the meat from older more mature animals was used for stewing. The flavour was richer and during long slow cooking the connective tissue dissolves into gelatine which adds a silky texture to the finished dish.
I also like to include some bone in the stew, it adds an extra depth of flavour – ask your butcher for a couple of slices of marrow bone to add to a beef stew it adds really magic. Now at last we can get more mature animals, chat to your family craft butcher they’ll know the provenance of the meat.
Venison and Parsnip Stew
If time allows, get this started the day before, the flavour will be even better, but ‘needs must’ if you are racing against the clock just mix all the ingredients in the casserole, bring to the boil and cook gently until the venison is tender and unctuous.
Baked potatoes work brilliantly with venison stew but a layer of potatoes on top provide a wonderfully comforting meal in one pot. Scatter lots of fresh parsley over the top.
Serves 10
1.3kg shoulder of venison, trimmed and diced – 4cm
Marinade
300-350ml gutsy red wine
1 medium onion, sliced
3 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, lightly crushed black pepper
Bouquet garni
Seasoned flour
225g fat salt pork or green streaky bacon, diced -4cm
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
225g small mushrooms, preferably wild ones, but flats have lots of flavour
2 large onions, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 large parsnips, diced
1 large clove garlic, crushed
450ml beef or venison stock
Bouquet garni
Extra butter
Lemon juice
Salt, pepper sugar
8-12 potatoes
Garnish
Lots of freshly chopped parsley
To serve
Green vegetable – eg Brussels sprouts, calabrese, cabbage
Horseradish sauce – optional
Season the venison well and soak in the marinade ingredients for at least an hour or better still overnight. Drain the meat well, pat it dry on kitchen paper and turn in seasoned flour.
Meanwhile, brown the pork or bacon in olive oil in a heavy casserole, cooking it slowly at first to persuade the fat to run, then raising the heat. Transfer to a large bowl. Next sauté the mushrooms in batches on a high heat, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and transfer to a plate, keep aside to be added later.
Add a little more olive oil to the casserole, brown the venison in batches and add to the bacon. Add the onion, carrot, parsnip and garlic to the casserole, with a little more olive oil if necessary, toss and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add to the bacon and venison in the bowl. Do not overheat or the fat will burn. Pour off any surplus fat, deglaze the casserole with the strained marinade, bring to the boil. Add back in the venison, bacon, vegetables and garlic and enough stock to cover the items in the casserole. Put in the bouquet garni, bring to a gentle simmer on top of the stove. Cover tightly with the lid of the casserole. Transfer to the oven and cook until the venison is tender.
Test after 1½ hours, cover the entire stew with the peeled potatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover with a paper lid and the lid of the casserole and continue to cook for another hour approx. until both the venison and potatoes are cooked. Add back in the cooked mushrooms, return to the boil for 2-3 minutes.
Finally taste the sauce, it will need seasoning and perhaps a little acidity, use lemon juice or a couple of spoons full of crab apple jelly.
Serve with a nice big dish of brussels sprouts, calabrese or cabbage and some horseradish sauce.
Scatter with lots of freshly chopped parsley.
Good to know - For the best results, cook this kind of dish one day and then reheat the next, this improves the flavour and gives you a chance to make sure that the venison is really tender.
Lamb and Pearl Barley Stew and Fresh Herb Gremolata
A substantial pot of stew fortified with pearl barley, this is really good with lots of gremolata sprinkled over the top. It is a variation of Irish stew, which is the quintessential one-pot dish – the recipe for the original Ballymaloe version can be found in my Forgotten Skills of Cooking book.
Serves 8-10
350g (12oz) piece of green streaky bacon (blanched if salty)
1.8kg (4lb) gigot or rack chops from the shoulder of lamb, not less than 2.5cm (1 inch) thick
well-seasoned plain flour, for dusting
a little extra virgin olive oil, for frying
350g (12oz) mushrooms, thinly sliced
700g (1 1/2lbs) whole, small onions – baby ones are nicest
350g (12oz) carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
150g (5oz) parsnips, peeled and thickly sliced
400g (14oz) pearl barley
approx. 2.8 litres (4 3/4 pints) homemade lamb or chicken stock
sprig of thyme
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Gremolata
4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) chopped mixed herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chervil and mint
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 generous teaspoon grated or finely chopped organic lemon zest
flaky sea salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
First make the stew. Cut the rind off the bacon and cut into approx. 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes. Divide the lamb into 8 pieces and roll in the well-seasoned flour.
Heat a little oil in a 25cm (10 inch)/3.2-litre casserole over a medium heat and sauté the bacon until crisp. Remove to a plate. Sauté the mushrooms, season well and set aside. Add the lamb to the casserole in batches, with a little more olive oil if necessary, and sauté until golden. Heat control is crucial here: the pan mustn’t burn, yet it must be hot enough to sauté the lamb. If the pan is too cool, the lamb will stew rather than sauté and as a result the meat may be tough. Remove the lamb to a plate. Add another splash of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions, carrots and parsnips until golden. Return the bacon and lamb to the casserole, together with the pearl barley. Season well, pour in the stock, add the thyme and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1–1 1/4 hours until meltingly tender; the cooking time will depend on the age of the lamb and how long it was sautéed for. Add the mushrooms about 30 minutes before the end.
Meanwhile, make the gremolata. Mix together the chopped herbs and garlic in a small bowl, add the lemon zest and season to taste with a little flaky salt.
Once the casserole is cooked, remove the thyme and season to taste. Leave the casserole to sit for 15–30 minutes to allow the pearl barley to swell. (If necessary, the casserole can be reheated later in the day, or the next day.) Serve bubbling hot, sprinkled with the gremolata.
Beef and Agen Prune Stew
Serves 6 – 8
This is a rich and delicious stew that just gets better and better. The flavour deepens when made the day before. Serve with polenta, tagliatelle or some fluffy mashed potato and a tasty green salad, as you wish.
18 Agen mi-cuit or semi-soft prunes, stoned
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
400g (14oz) carrots cut into 1cm slices
285g (9 1/2oz) onions, sliced
1.35kg (3lb) well-hung stewing beef or lean flank, trimmed of fat and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) cubes
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
150ml (5fl oz) red wine
150ml (5fl oz) brown beef stock (see recipe)
1 x 400g (14oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
8 medium potatoes, washed and peeled at the last minute
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a good green salad and some polenta, tagliatelle or mashed potatoes, to serve (optional)
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325ºF/Gas Mark 3.
Place the prunes in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside to soak.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 25cm (10 inch)/3.2 litre (5 1/2 pint) casserole over
a gentle heat and cook the sliced carrots and onions for 10 minutes, covered, until soft. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
a gentle heat and cook the sliced carrots and onions for 10 minutes, covered, until soft. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the casserole over a medium heat until almost smoking. Add the pieces of beef and sear on all sides in the hot fat. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, stock and chopped tomatoes and bring slowly to the boil, stirring. Add the onions and carrots back to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours.
Arrange the whole peeled potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables and replace the lid. Return the casserole to the oven and continue to cook for a further 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Add the whole drained prunes and chopped parsley about 15 minutes before the end.
Serve with a green salad and some tagliatelle, polenta or mashed potatoes, if you like.
