St Patrick’s Day recipe: Beef in Guinness INGREDIENTS For the stew
2 tbsp oil 1kg braising steak, cut into large pieces 2 tbsp plain flour, well-seasoned 3 onions, sliced 500ml Guinness 2 sprigs thyme
For the dumplings
75g butter, frozen and grated, or 75g suet 150g self-raising flour 1 small onion, grated 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped and chopped Water for mixing
METHOD
Heat the oven to 150ºC/fan 130ºC/gas 2. Heat a little of the oil in a large oven-proof pan. Lightly flour the pieces of braising steak and fry in small batches until well browned. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate. Add the onions to the pan and fry on a fairly high heat until they soften and tinge brown at the edges.
Pour the Guinness into the pan, letting it bubble up, then return the meat to the pan along with the thyme. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven for two to two-and-a-half hours, or until tender. The sauce will sweeten and thicken during the cooking time. Make the dumplings towards the end of the cooking time by mixing the grated butter or suet, flour, onion, and thyme together, and season well. Gradually add water to the dry ingredients until you have a soft dough. Divide into 12 balls. Place the dumplings on top of the casserole and return it to the oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Serve with shredded cabbage or spring greens.
Recipe: Suet pasty sausage rolls INGREDIENTS 120g suet 240g plain flour 120ml water Olive oil 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced 1 sprig fresh sage, leaves picked 6 higher-welfare pork sausages 1 handful breadcrumbs 1 free-range egg A little milk
METHOD
For the pastry, combine the suet, flour, and water together with a pinch of salt and bring to a dough. This dough can be rolled straight away as there is no butter to go soft. Preheat the oven to 180ºc. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Cook gently for about 20 minutes until soft and golden brown. Add the sage leaves, cook for a couple of minutes more, and then spread out on a plate to cool. With a sharp knife, slit the skins of the sausages and pop the meat out. Put it in a mixing bowl with the
12
cooled sage and onion mix and the breadcrumbs, then scrunch well with your clean hands to mix together. On a floured work surface, roll the pastry out into a big rectangle, as thick as a pound coin, and cut it lengthways into two long, even rectangles. Roll the mixture into sausage shapes with your hands and lay along the centre of each rectangle. Mix the egg and milk and brush the pastry with the mixture. Then fold one side of the pastry over, wrapping the filling inside. Press down with your fingers or the edge of a spoon to seal the join. Cut the long rolls into the sizes you want and space them out on a baking tray. Brush with the rest of the egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until puffed, golden, and cooked through.
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