Beef stew and creamy polenta
DESCRIPTION
Try this meltingly tender beef in a velvety sauce, with piquant pickled onions. The deep savoury sauce works wonders with our creamy polenta – enriched with a good dollop of Cornish clotted cream. It’s the perfect dinner for a chilly evening.
INGREDIENTS
1kg Braising Beef, sliced into 3cm pieces
3 tbsp Plain Flour
2 tbsp Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 Carrots, sliced into generous chunks
2 Celery Sticks, sliced into generous chunks
200g silverskin Pickled Onions
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 Bay Leaves
Sprigs of thyme and rosemary
1 Cinnamon Stick
330ml Dark Ale
1ltr Beef Stock
1 tbsp Miso – brown or white
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
Vinegar – to taste
Polenta
200g Instant Polenta
400ml Chicken / Vegetable Stock
400ml Trewithen Dairy Whole Milk
1 Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Cornish Clotted Cream
2 tbsp Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter
80g Good Cheddar – Cornish Gouda works perfectly
METHOD
Stew method
Place the flour in a large bowl and season generously well with salt and pepper. Coat the chunks of beef in the flour.
Place a heavy-based cast iron pan over a medium high heat and add the butter and oil. Brown the beef in small batches. Splash a little ale into the pan and scrape the bottom to deglaze.
Add the carrots, celery, pickled onions, garlic, bay leaves, woody herbs and cinnamon stick, before returning all the beef to the pan. Pour in the remaining ale. Allow to bubble and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir the miso, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock together. Slowly add to the pan until the liquid just covers the contents and stir through. Replace the lid and allow it to gently blip away for two hours, stirring occasionally. When the beef is soft and gelatinous and the sauce has thickened, season to taste – it may need a little vinegar – balsamic, cider or red wine vinegar works well.
Polenta
Cook your polenta according to the packet instructions, replacing the liquid quantity with half stock, half milk. Add one whole garlic clove to the mix. Whisk well until smooth and polenta has thickened. Stir through the clotted cream, butter and cheddar. Season to taste.
Serve in bowls with beef stew on top and crusty bread for mopping
