A variation of a very old recipe favoured by French fishermen. Surprisingly, given that no stock or significant amount of liquid is included, this recipe produces a richly flavoured stew.
If you are looking to use a cheaper cut of meat for a *Christmas meal this slow cooked recipe could work very well especially with some greens such as Brussels Sprout Tops and some large Crostini.
For 6
6 thick (about3cm) slices of shin of beef – leave the bones in if you have them
6 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced into half moons
Sea salt flakes
1 generous tsp of softened butter
1 tsp plain flour
For the dressing:
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 50g can of anchovies in oil
The leaves from a small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
You will also need a large casserole pan or dish with a tight -fitting lid and some greaseproof paper.
Preheat the oven to 150c.
Put half of the sliced onions into the casserole pan.
Lay the pieces of beef on the top and sprinkle with a generous pinch of sea salt flakes.
Put the remaining onions on top of the beef.
Mix the butter and flour together in a small bowl then dot pieces of the mixture over the top layer of onions.
Cut a piece of greaseproof paper about one and a half times as big as the casserole pan. Crumple it up and dampen it with a little water then lay it over the top of the contents of the pan. This is what will help to produce some moisture as a base for a delicious gravy.
Cover the casserole with the lid and cook in the preheated oven for one hour. During this time, you can make a dressing by “melting” the anchovies and the oil from the tin in a small pan over low heat until they form a smooth sauce. Whisk in the garlic, oil and vinegar and set aside.
Once an hour has passed, remove the greaseproof paper from the casserole (but don’t discard it) and pour the dressing over the beef and onions. Dampen the greaseproof paper with a little water again and lay it over the top of the contents of the pan. Replace the lid too and return the pan to the oven for another hour.
After that check for tenderness but it will probably need another 30 minutes to become completely tender.
Serve as suggested above.
* For more Christmas food ideas see Sherbhert Christmas Food and Need to talk about Christmas Food?
