Beef stew with hazelnut picada
- Published: 14 Mar 16
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Beef shin is slow-cooked with red wine, fresh herbs and olives, then served with a hazelnut picada, in this one pot recipe.
Ingredients
For the stew
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg British beef shin or stewing beef, cut into 2cm cubes
- 3 tbsp seasoned plain flour
- 50g tin anchovies in oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly bashed with the flat of a knife
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 500ml Italian red wine, plus an extra 50-100ml to taste
- 500ml fresh beef stock
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 100g good quality black olives, pitted
For the hazelnut picada
- Large handful blanched hazelnuts
- Extra-virgin olive oil for frying
- 3 thick slices sourdough bread
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
- Finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 small bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
Method
- Put a large, deep casserole over a medium-high heat, add the oil and, when hot, toss the beef in the seasoned flour, then add half the beef to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, turning, until nicely browned all over, then remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining beef (if it starts to burn, turn down the heat slightly and add a splash more oil).
- Turn down the heat to low and add the anchovies and the oil from the tin, reserving 2 fillets for the sauce. Add the onions, garlic cloves, celery and carrots, then cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1.
- Add a splash of wine to the pan and scrape off any brown bits stuck to the bottom. Add the beef stock and the rest of the 500ml red wine, bring to the boil, bubble for 5 minutes, then add the beef with its resting juices, and the herbs and olives. Bring back to the boil, cover with a cartouche and the lid, then cook in the oven for 4 hours until the beef falls apart when pressed with a fork.
- Pour the stew into a colander set over a large wide bowl, to separate the sauce from the meat and veg. Put the sauce into a large pan and bubble over a high heat until reduced by half, adding the reserved anchovy fillets. Return the meat and veg to the sauce, taste and adjust the seasoning – you might find it needs a splash of wine and a little salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, make the picada. Toast the hazelnuts in a little oil in a frying pan until golden, roughly chop and put in a bowl. Fry the sourdough slices on each side in a generous glug of oil until golden and crisp, then roughly tear and add to the bowl. Add the rest of the picada ingredients to the bowl, season and toss to combine. Sprinkle over the hot beef stew and serve immediately.
- Recipe from February 2016 Issue
Nutrition
For 6
- Calories
- 530kcals
- Fat
- 19.9g (4.3g saturated)
- Protein
- 45.7g
- Carbohydrates
- 22.5g (7g sugars)
- Fibre
- 5g
- Salt
- 2.7g
delicious. tips
For this recipe we like black olives that have been preserved in oil – they’re more flavoursome than the brine-soaked ones. If you need to pit your olives, press them one at a time on a chopping board with your thumb to squeeze out the stone.
If using slow cooker, make the recipe up to the end of step 2, then add the stew ingredients to the slow cooker but only add 150ml red wine and 250ml beef stock. Cook for 4 hours or so. You can separate the meat and veg from the sauce and reduce it as in step 4 if you like.
Make the stew up to 3 days ahead. Cool and keep covered in the fridge. Or cook, cool and freeze, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Bring the dish to a brisk simmer and check the seasoning before serving.
A picada is a Catalan mix of toasted nuts (often almonds), dry bread and a little liquid. It’s used to thicken sauces and add flavour to dishes.
A cartouche is a circle of baking paper, cut to fit the size of the pan and lie directly on the surface of the liquid/food in the pan. It helps to retain moisture during slow cooking.
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