Shin of Beef Stew
30 minutes
4 Servings
This beef stew is definitely worth waiting for – rich and delicious and even better when made the day ahead and left to chill overnight. Just return to the hob and heat through very gently until piping hot.
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 red onions , peeled and roughly chopped
3 carrots , peeled and roughly chopped
3 sticks celery , trimmed and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic , unpeeled
a few sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 small handful dried porcini
1 stick cinnamon
1 kg quality shin of beef , bone removed, trimmed
and cut into 5cm pieces
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon flour
2 x 400 g good-quality tinned plum tomatoes
2⁄3 bottle Chianti
Steps
Preheat your oven to 180oC/350oF/gas 4. In a heavy-bottomed ovenproof
saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil and gently fry the onions, carrots, celery,
garlic, herbs, porcini and cinnamon for 5 minutes until softened slightly.
Meanwhile, toss the pieces of beef in a little seasoned flour, shaking off any
excess. Add the meat to the pan and stir everything together, then add the
tomatoes, wine and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently bring to the boil, cov-
er with a double-thickness piece of tinfoil and a lid and place in your pre-
heated oven for 3 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender and can be bro-
ken up with a spoon. Taste and check the seasoning, remove the cinnamon
stick and rosemary sprigs and serve.