Serves 6
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 1½ hours
2 tablespoons plain flour
750 g (1½ lb) lean stewing beef, diced
25 g (1 oz) butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2parsnips, sliced
3 bay leaves
several thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons tomato purée
625 g (1¼ lb) pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon dark muscovado sugar
50 g (2 oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
small handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra to garnish
salt and pepper
Season the flour with salt and pepper and use to coat the beef. Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. When the butter is foaming, fry the meat in 2 batches until browned all over, draining with a slotted spoon. Set aside on a plate.
Reduce the heat, add the onion, carrots and parsnips to the saucepan and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.
Return the meat to the pan and add the bay leaves, thyme and tomato purée. Pour in just enough water to cover the ingredients and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover and simmer very gently for 45 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, sugar, ginger and parsley and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and the meat is tender. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed, and serve scattered with extra parsley.
For beef, sweet potato & horseradish stew, cook the recipe as above, replacing the pumpkin with 500 g (1 lb) sweet potatoes, cut into chunks, and the ginger with 3 tablespoons hot horseradish sauce.