A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get some meat from my friends at Widgit’s Farm, and even better some of it was one of my favourite slow cook cuts, shin of beef. Not your typical summer fare, but the day I made this stew it was cold, wet and windy – in June – and this was just what was needed! I used about 750g beef and made enough for 4 portions, so adjust as you want.
Chop 2 onions and sweat for 5 minutes in a large casserole. Add in a half teaspoon each of dried thyme and all spice, then tumble in the beef shin, chopped into good sized chunks, frying for a couple of minutes for some colour. Stir in a dessert spoon of flour, coating the beef. Meanwhile, make up the sauce with 350ml beer, 350ml beef stock and a spoonful of wholegrain mustard. Pour into the casserole and bring to the boil. Now, put the lid on and place in a preheated oven at 150 degrees. Leave it for at least 3 hours… Go play golf or something and it’ll be done when you get back. Make sure someone gives it a stir every now and then whilst you’re gone.
You could serve with mash, or chunky bread, but it also works well with pasta – here I boiled up sone tagliatelle just before serving, and spooned the beef over it. After all that time in the oven, what is quite fatty meat to start with will have become meltingly soft and will flake away with your fork. Dig in, and forget about the weather.