Muffin-topped winter beef stew
By Lesley Waters
Cooking time
Prep: 20 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 30 minsSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 2 adults and 2-3 childrenMuffin on stew? You’d better believe it – think of it as a lighter alternative to suet dumplings
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Freezable
Nutrition per adult serving
- kcalories
- 847
- protein
- 46g
- carbs
- 82g
- fat
- 39g
- saturates
- 14g
- fibre
- 10g
- sugar
- 0g
- salt
- 2.81g
Ingredients
For the stew
- 500g braising steaks, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with pepper and a little salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 450g carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp sundried or regular tomato paste
- 300ml red wine or extra stock
- 450ml vegetable stock
For the topping
- 225g plain flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 140g cheddar, coarsely grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 150ml milk
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Method
- Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Toss the beef in seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Fry the beef over a high heat until browned all over – it’s easiest to do this in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp water and the onion to the pan, stir well over a medium heat, scraping up the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and fry gently for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
- Tip in the carrots, parsnips and bay leaf, then fry for 2 mins more. Return the beef to the pan, stir in the tomato paste, wine if using, and stock, then bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1¾-2 hrs until the meat is tender. Can be made up to 2 days ahead or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before topping and baking. Take out of the oven and increase the temperature to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.
- To make the topping, sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half the cheese. Mix olive oil and milk, then stir into the flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Add more milk, if necessary. Spoon the dough over the meat and vegetables, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 15 mins until golden, risen and cooked through.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2006
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Comments, questions and tips
Comments
This is good and useful article.Thanks for share.
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This was a lovely recipe unfortunately somebody had eaten half the cheese I had put aside to make the topping (grrrr!) so I put some thyme leaves in with the remaining cheese and it was really good did struggle a little putting the topping over the stew to make it spread evenly but as it cooks and rises it covers any little gaps I'd left.
Top marks - the muffin top is a great low fat alternative to dumplings (and tastes just as good!) Following a suggestion here I made a third more of the muffin top than the recipe suggests and this was in good proportion to the stew. Also added a tsp of thyme before putting in the oven and used beef stock instead of veg, to make it more meaty. Made with wine. Delicious!
Gorgeous recipe, cooked it tonight for my tea and devoured half of the dish in one sitting, mmmm cheesy muffin! Lovely with a bit of fresh ground black pepper, fresh bread and a glass of red (what little red there was left! The pot got half the bottle!)
Should it not be called Muffin topped winter beef casserole though? I was always taught a stew is cooked on the hob and a casserole in the oven. Whatever you call it, its scrummy yummy and definitely on my regular menu for this winter. I put a very small swede in mine as well in addition to the other veg. Otherwise followed the recipe exactly.
Christened my new cast iron casserole dish with this recipe, a worthy baptism.
What an extremely easy and absolutely delicious meal. I am not a natural, experimental cook so I followed this recipe to the T and it turned out perfect. I LOVE dumplings but from now on this muffin top is my new favorite. It really is light and fluffy. I love it and my family did too (I think they will be using this recipe at their homes in the future)