Friday 9 January 2015

Beef stew with cavolo nero

Serves 4

500g stewing beef (£3.50)
3 rashers of bacon, chopped (30p)
2 large onions (10p)
2 leeks (15p)
2 sticks of celery (10p)
2 carrots (0.5p)
1 turnip (5p)
1 good squeeze of tomato puree (about a table spoonful) (2p)
6 black peppercorns (2p)
2 bay leaves (3p)
2 or 3 teaspoons of wholegrain mustard (5p)
salt and black pepper (2p)
olive oil (5p)
tin of butter beans (55p)

total cost of stew £4.85

a handful of cavolo nero per person (or any green) 50p
a small knob of butter 10p

total cost of meal £5.45

Fry chopped onion in olive oil for a few minutes until it begins to brown but not burn. Add leek and celery, both chopped into 5 cm thick rings. Chop the beef into cubes and add to the pan, turning it over until it is brown. Add more oil if needed so the beef does not stick and burn. Put in about 2 pints of cold water, 6 whole peppercorns, salt, a good squeeze of tomato puree and mustard. Peel the carrots, cut into 40mm sections and then quarter them, add to the stew. Peel the turnip, cut into cubes of about 30mm.

 Bring the stew to the boil then immediately turn the heat down so the stew is simmering gently for about an hour and a half. Then add a tin of butter beans and cook for about half an hour longer or until you think the stew is done.

Bring a pan of water to the boil. Pull the cavolo nero stalks out, then roll several leaves together and cut across them, which will shred them. You want them to be about 5mm wide. Boil them very briefly, no more than a minute or two, strain, melt some butter in the pan, put the cabbage into it and mix. Remove the cabbage from the heat immediately. Serve the stew with a good mound of cabbage on top.