Scottish Braised Beef Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions, and garlic to the hot oil and sweat them until very soft and very light caramel in color, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and reserve.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Pat the meat dry and season very liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the meat to a deep brown all over, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Peel the potatoes and very thinly slice them lengthwise into planks. Slice the tomatoes working over a bowl to catch their juices.
• Arrange 1/2 the onions over top of the meat, season with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon thyme. Arrange 1/2 the potatoes over the onions and dress the potatoes with a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a handful freshly grated cheese. Top the potatoes with 1/2 the tomatoes and their juices, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter a few leaves of torn basil. Repeat the layers. Do not add basil to the top layer of tomatoes.
• Cover the pan and roast the meat in the oven until very tender, 4 hours. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Reheat, covered, in a preheated 325 degree F oven until warmed through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Take off the lid of the pot, drizzle the top of the meat with oil, sprinkle with cheese, and broil to lightly crust the top. Cut down through the layers of the potatoes, tomatoes, and onions to portion the meat, serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread and pan juices.

Steps:

• 1. 1. Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat until sizzling hot. Brown meat in 4 batches. Set beef aside; sprinkle with flour.
• 2. 2. Add garlic and onion to pot; cook 3 to 4 minutes until just softened, adding more oil if necessary. Stir in broth, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Add reserved beef, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
• 3. 3. Simmer covered, on stove-top or in 325°F (160°C) oven for 1 hour until beef is fork tender. Add vegetables; cook 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove and discard bay leaf. Garnish each serving with some chopped parsley.
• 4. • Slow-cooker Version: After Step 2, transfer mixture with carrots and potatoes to 24-cup (6 L) slow-cooker. Cook, covered, on LOW for 8 hours.
• 5. • Beef Stew Provençial Version: Add 8 oz (250 g) button mushrooms when cooking garlic and onions. Substitute dry red wine for stock. Use thyme (as above) or substitute herbes de Provençe for thyme. Instead of potatoes and carrots, use 2 cups (500 mL) cut green beans and 1/2 cup (125 mL) black olives (pitted and halved).
• 6. View Original: http://www.beefinfo.org/Default.aspx?ID=10&SecID=4&RecipeID=1

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan set over medium-high heat, until it is nearly smoking. Add the beef pieces in batches and brown well all over, approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to pan set to medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, and cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for approximately 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent. Add sherry, scraping up the browned bits, and boil until it is thick and syrupy. Pour in the red wine, bring to a boil and reduce by 1/4. Remove from the heat.
• Arrange the beef in a Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot with a lid. Add the vegetables and their cooking liquid, along with enough warm stock to come three-quarters of the way up the sides of the meat. Add the thyme, parsley stems, bay leaves and dried mushrooms. Cover the pot.
• Place the beef in the oven, and reduce the heat to 310. Cook until the meat is very tender, approximately 2 hours. When the meat is done, transfer to a cutting board and let it rest, uncovered.
• Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan, pressing on the vegetables with the back of a spoon. Place the saucepan over very low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, skimming off the fat that rises to the top. Continue simmering and skimming until the liquid is slightly reduced and little fat remains, approximately 20 minutes.
• Put the beef back in the pot, add a little of the braising broth and warm gently over low heat.
• In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. When it begins to foam, add the peppers, carrots, onion, leek and bay leaf, and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion and leek just begin to soften. Cover and cook over low heat for approximately 5 minutes, until tender.
• Add the rice and stir for 1 minute to coat. Add 1 ½ cups of broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, approximately 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another pan, melt another tablespoon of butter set over medium-high heat. When it begins to foam, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until they are soft and tender, in the case of chanterelles, approximately 5 minutes.
• Transfer the finished rice to a serving bowl, discard the bay leaf and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and mushrooms. Season with thyme. Serve the meat over rice pirlau with more of the braising liquid spooned on top.

Steps:

• Dust the beef in flour, then set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and fry for 5 mins. Add the sugar and cook for 5-10 mins, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelised. Stir in the garlic for the final few mins.
• Pour in the stock and stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Add the beef and mushrooms, then season, adding plenty of black pepper. Cover and cook gently for 2 hrs until the meat is tender. Can be chilled for up to 3 days. To freeze, cool and store in freezer bags. Thaw and reheat in a pan. Serve scattered with parsley.

Steps:

• Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 45 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 275°F. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, sear meat until browned on all sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add garlic and tomato paste to hot pot and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add vinegar and scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in stock and bay leaves, then nestle short ribs back into pot. The liquid should just cover the meat; if it doesn't, add more stock or water until it does. Transfer to oven and braise until meat falls apart easily when shredded with a fork, 3 1/2-4 hours. Let cool in liquid.
• Do Ahead: Beef can be cooked up to 5 days ahead. Store in braising liquid (to keep it from drying out) in an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 2 months. Before reheating, break off and discard fat cap that forms on top.
• Cooks' Note: To cook in a slow cooker, transfer to a slow cooker instead of oven and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Steps:

• A day ahead, marinate the beef. Bring the wine to the boil in a large saucepan, then boil until reduced by a third to remove the alcohol (takes about 8-10 mins). Leave to cool for about 1 hr. Mix the beef steaks, carrots, celery, baby onions, garlic, crushed peppercorns and bouquet garni together in 1 or 2 large bowls, then pour the cooled red wine over them. Cover with cling film, put in the fridge and leave to marinate for 24 hrs.
• The next day, place a large colander over a large bowl and tip in the beef mixture to drain off the marinade. Leave for at least 1 hr to remove excess liquid.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Sprinkle the flour on a baking sheet and cook for 8-10 mins until it has turned pale brown. Set aside. Reduce oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
• Separate the beef, vegetables and herbs and pat dry with kitchen paper. Reserve the marinade liquid. Season the beef with 4 pinches of salt. In a large, heavy-based casserole over a high heat, warm the clarified butter, then colour the beef steaks in it for 5-7 mins on each side - in batches if necessary. (To clarify butter, warm it gently in a small pan. The white milk solids will sink to the bottom, then you can carefully pour off the clear, clarified butter.) With a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate and set aside. Add the drained vegetables to the casserole. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 mins until lightly coloured, stirring occasionally.
• Tip the toasted flour into the casserole and stir for a few secs. Pour in the marinade wine little by little, stirring constantly to incorporate it into the flour and until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Add the beef and herbs, bring the sauce to the boil and skim if necessary. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 3 hrs.
• To finish the sauce, place a colander (big enough to hold the meat and veg) over a large saucepan and drain off the cooking liquor from the casserole. Put the saucepan on a high heat and boil until the sauce has reduced by about half to make a lightly coating sauce. Skim if necessary. Taste the sauce. Do not add any salt as you will be adding the smoked ham or lardons later. Return the beef and vegetables to the casserole, then pour over the sauce (discarding the herbs).
• For the garnish, heat the butter over a high heat in a large non-stick frying pan, then fry the mushrooms until lightly caramelised, adding a little more butter if necessary. Season to taste. Mix into the beef with the finely sliced ham or freshly fried lardons. Heat through, sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping hot.