Brown Beef Stew

Ingredients – Serves 2
500g stewing beef, diced
30ml Grappolini Paneolio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100g carrots, diced
100g onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
Celery stick, chopped
100g potatoes, cubed
75g peas
1tbsp tomato puree
1l beef stock
Rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Fry the beef until browned and add the tomato puree. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and continue frying until golden in colour. Add the potatoes and mix. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and skim, if needed. Add the peas and simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Serve warm with loads of crusty bread to mop up the juices.

When we say skim we mean remove the scum that rises to the surface of the sauce. You can skim by using a small ladle.

Beef Parcels as if baked

Ingredients – Serves 4
8 slices rump steak
100g mushrooms, chopped
100g aubergine pulp, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 red onion, chopped
50ml Grappolini Paneolio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1tbsp parsley, chopped
8 sage leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 slices potatoes, about 1 cm thick
8 slices onions, about 1cm thick
300ml beef or vegetable stock

Method
Place the meat slices on a chopping board and trim neatly, as for beef olives. Beat them thin and set aside. Heat the Paneolio in a pan and fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Add the aubergine cubes and fry together with the mushrooms. Add the chopped parsley and season. Set aside. In a thick bottomed pan prepare a layer of sliced onions. Then add a layer of sliced potatoes and drizzle with Paneolio.To make the meat parcels, place a sage leaf on a slice of meat and top with a spoonful of stuffing. Fold the meat to form a parcel and set aside. Continue until all the parcels are ready. Place the meat parcels on the layered potatoes and onions. Add the stock, cover, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until the meat is ready.

Always chop the aubergine just before cooking to prevent it from discolouring. Otherwise sprinkle the aubergine cubes with salt and rinse in cold water before use.