Beef Stew with Pumpkin
Serves 4
Ingredients
1kg Beef Stewing Steak
40g Butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Carrot, halved lengthways and sliced
2 Onions, roughly chopped
1 tbsp Plain Flour
1/4 tsp Crushed Chilli Flakes
Pared Peel from 1/2 an Organic Orange
3 Star Anise
2 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick, broken in half
500g Pumpkin or Butternut Squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into 3cm cubes
Method
Heat half the butter with the olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole or saucepan with a fitting lid over a high heat. Season the beef and cook, in 2 batches, for 5 minutes until well browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in the pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Return the beef to the pan, sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the chilli flakes, orange peel. star anise, cloves, cinnamon, 450ml water and some seasoning. Bring just to the boil, then reduce the heat to alow, cover the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 1.5 hours or until the meat is tender.
Add the pumpkin or squash to the stew and simmer for a further 25 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender and the meat melts in the mouth. To serve, remove the orange peel and spices, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Source: Delicious Magazine
