The Cottage Smallholder

Photo: Skirt of beef stew

Last year my friend Jo mentioned skirt of beef. I’d never even heard of the cut before let alone spotted it in the butchers.
“If you slice it very fine, it’s wonderful in a stir fry. And even better it’s so cheap.”

I’ve since discovered that it’s the traditional meat used in Cornish Pasties. Although my Cornish pal Tessa uses chuck steak.

Last week I went to the market to buy some vegetables – they are always knocked down in price at the end of the day. I bought two large bunches of baby carrots for a pound – these would be perfect in a stew. I lingered by the butcher’s window hoping for inspiration and spied a tray of skirt of beef.

I bought a large slab and rushed home in a fever of excitement having finally found this special cut. I was surprised how tender the meat was when I sliced it but the butcher had suggested slow cooking to bring out the flavours.

Rolled in seasoned flour and popped into the slow cooker with the rest of the vegetables it took just three hours to transform into a wonderful tasty stew. Teamed up with Danny’s Maris pipers and frozen peas from our garden it was excellent and so easy.

Like all slow cooked food this is best left to chill overnight and eaten the next day.

Warming winter stew with skirt of beef and baby carrots recipe (for 4 hungry heroes)

Ingredients:

440g of skirt of beef
4 tbsp of plain flour
125g of sliced Spanish onion
440g of baby carrots – scrubbed well and the chunkier ones chopped
250g of celery – destring if necessary and slice
1 chubby clove of garlic peeled and chopped fine
10g of dried mushrooms (soaked for 5 minutes in boiling water)
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp of vegetable stock powder
Half a tsp of anchovy sauce
2 tbsp of mushroom ketchup
900ml of good beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper for seasoning

Method:

Chop the skirt of beef into 2.5cm x 2.5cm pieces and roll them in seasoned flour.
Prepare the vegetables and garlic and layer them with the meat in the slow cooker, sprinkling any leftover flour on each layer.
Add the mushrooms and their water.
Add the Balsamic vinegar, vegetable stock powder, anchovy sauce, mushroom ketchup, a good twist of ground black pepper.
Pour over the hot stock. Pop on the lid and set the knob to auto (or high until the stew starts bubbling and then switch to low). Leave for 3 hours or until the meat and vegetables are tender.