Meat mains
Beef, celeriac and horseradish cobbler
This is a warming and lovely winter meal: rich, tender beef slow-cooked with veggies and topped with savoury scones. It's also a great recipe for using up odds and ends from your veg box – add in chunks of any root vegetables you have. Eat with kale, cabbage or winter greens.
Ingredients
main
- 900g diced beef for stewing
- oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only, very finely chopped
- 500ml dark ale
- 10 juniper berries
- 1 small celeriac or ½ a large one, peeled and cut into chunks
- salt and pepper
for the cobbler topping
- 400g self-raising flour
- sea salt
- 80g cold unsalted butter,
- cut into small cubes
- 240ml milk
- 2 tbsp horseradish root, peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
main
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 150°C/Gas 2. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper (this helps it to brown well).
-
Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large flame and oven proof casserole (or use a large frying pan then transfer to an ovenproof dish). When very hot, add the meat and fry on all sides to brown it well; you need a good caramelised colour for the best flavour. Don't overcrowd the pan or it will steam rather than fry; cook in batches if you need to. Remove from the pan to a plate.
-
Step 3
Add a splash more oil to the pan and add the onion, celery and carrot. Reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring now and then, for 8 minutes. Add the flour and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the ale, 100ml water and the juniper berries. Season with salt and pepper and bring up to a simmer.
-
Step 4
Cover (use foil if you don't have a lid). Transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours. Remove and add the celeriac. Cook for another hour, still covered.
Make the cobbler topping next.
-
Step 1
Put the flour, salt and butter in a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the mixture together until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the milk, horseradish and parsley. Use your hands to bring it together into a dough.
-
Step 2
Form into golf ball-sized balls. After the celeriac has cooked for an hour, uncover the beef and turn the heat to 180°C/Gas 4.
-
Step 3
Place the balls all over the top of the beef and brush them with beaten egg.
-
Step 4
Bake for 40-45 minutes, depending on your oven, until the topping has risen and is golden brown.