Beef and red wine stew
Ingredients METHOD
Put the shallots into a big bowl and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole dish over a medium-high heat.
Add the beef in a single layer and leave for three minutes without turning until the bottom of the meat is a dark brown colour and smells delicious. Stir the beef around for one minute so that the remaining sides of the meat are lightly coloured, then push the beef to one side.
Drain and peel the shallots and add them to the pan, along with the bacon and mushrooms. Fry for two minutes, then stir in the garlic and fry for one minute. Add the balsamic vinegar, reduce the heat, then add the herbs and red wine, stirring until everything is well combined. Cover and cook for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Add the carrots and continue to cook for a further eight minutes, or until tender.
Mix the butter with the flour in a small bowl and gradually stir the mixture into the stew until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Leave to stand for five minutes before serving with mashed potato.
Make ahead: The meat can be browned in advance, and the stew itself will keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This is also a star of the freezer, where it will keep for three months.
The shortcut: You’ll save a good 20 minutes by soaking the shallots, and a further 15 minutes by just searing one side of the beef. Adding a thickener to the sauce claws back a good 15 minutes of saucereduction time.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Put the leeks, mushrooms and garlic in a large, microwavesafe bowl, season with salt and pepper and dot over the butter. Cover tightly and cook in the microwave for four minutes, stirring halfway through. Add the thyme, mustard and double cream to the bowl.
Place the stock cube in a jug and pour over the boiling water. Once the stock cube has dissolved, stir the stock into the mushroom and leek mixture. Add the chicken, then scrape the whole lot into a 20 x 28cm (8 x 11in) pie dish.
Roll out the puff pastry so that it is just bigger than the pie dish. Cover the dish with the puff pastry lid, pushing it up to the edges of the pot. Trim off any overhanging pastry, score a couple of steam holes through the top and glaze with the beaten egg yolk. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and puffed up.
Make ahead: The whole pie can be prepped ahead and kept in the refrigerator unbaked for two days, or frozen for up to two months, then thawed and cooked.
The shortcut: A roast chicken pie without roasting a chicken, perfectly tender leeks and mushrooms with no frying pan, and a rich, creamy sauce without the whisking? A weekend project turns into a weeknight dinner here.