Meat mains
Beef in Guinness with herby suet crust
This classic beef and ale takes a while in the oven but is worth the wait: steaming, aromatic, melt-in-the mouth cold weather food. Serve this with a bowl of buttery peas.
Ingredients
main
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
- 4 celery sticks, in chunks
- 30g butter
- 600g diced beef
- 1 tbsp seasoned plain flour
- 25g dried porcini, soaked in 150ml warm water for 30 mins
- 300ml Guinness
- 100g peeled, cooked chestnuts
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- bouquet garni
for the crust
- 100g suet
- 200g self raising flour
- 1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp thyme, finely chopped
- 1 beaten egg
- salt and pepper
Method
main
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 160°C/Gas 3.
-
Step 2
Sweat the onion, celery and garlic in melted butter for 5 minutes until softened then toss the beef in seasoned flour and add to the casserole - increasing the heat to brown it all over.
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Step 3
Add porcini and their soaking liquid as well as the Guinness and stir to incorporate before bringing to the boil.
-
Step 4
Scatter in the chestnuts and sugar and sit the tied bouquet garni in the middle of all, cover and cook in the oven for 1 hr 30 minutes until cooked and fairly tender.
To make the crust
-
Step 1
place suet, flour, finely chopped parsley and thyme in a bowl with seasoning. Add the beaten egg and sufficient cold water to be able to gently draw together into a dough (not wet) then roll out over floured cling film.
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Step 2
Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/Gas 6. Lay herby suet crust over the casserole and bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is golden and the meat very tender.
