Cook Slow recipes: From beef ragu to oxtail bunny chow
Slow-cooked beef ragu
I’ve tried out so many Bolognese and ragù recipes over the years, but this one truly is the best. Okay, there may be a few ingredients in here, like the milk, that might sound strange, but trust me, it works. The milk adds a real richness to this ultimate version of a family classic. I love to serve this with crispy fried gnocchi, a generous grating of Parmesan cheese and some freshly torn basil.
Serves 4
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
600 g (1 lb 5 oz) skirt steak, cut into
2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
2 tablespoons plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
100 g (3½ oz) smoked pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, cubed
2 onions, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
3 celery sticks, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
100 ml (3½ fl oz) milk
2 heaped tablespoons tomato purée
200 ml (¹∕³ pint) white wine
600 ml (20 fl oz) beef stock if using the conventional method or
400 ml (14 fl oz) if using the slow cooker method
Pinch of caster sugar
Salt and pepper
To serve
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 x 400 g (14 oz) shop-bought packs of potato gnocchi
Parmesan cheese, grated
Basil leaves, torn
Conventional method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole over a high heat. Dust the beef in the seasoned flour, then place in the casserole and cook for 4–5 minutes, until golden. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Reduce the heat to low to medium. Add the pancetta, onions, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary and cook for 6–7 minutes, until softened. Pour in the milk and reduce until it has evaporated. Stir through the tomato purée for a couple of minutes, then pour in the white wine and reduce by half.
Add the beef back in along with 600 ml (20 fl oz) of stock and stir to combine. Bring up to a gentle simmer, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 4 hours, checking along the way and adding a splash of water if needed. Before serving, season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Use forks to shred some of the larger chunks of meat.
To cook the gnocchi, add a splash of oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the gnocchi and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Serve the ragù with the crispy gnocchi, with some freshly grated Parmesan and torn basil leaves scattered over.
Slow cooker method:
Follow steps 2–3 as above. Spoon the vegetables into your slow cooker, then add the beef. Pour in the 400 ml (14 fl oz) of stock and stir well. Cover with your lid and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. Before serving, season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Follow steps 5-6 as above.
Caprese chicken melt
Something magical happens when you roast tomatoes – the already sweet tomatoes start to dry out and the flavour intensifies tenfold. This recipe is based on one of my favourite dishes, the Caprese salad of tomato, mozzarella and basil. I’m not quite sure how these three humble ingredients can be such an incredible taste sensation when eaten together, but I’m not going to complain. You can put all the ingredients uncooked into your slow cooker for ease, but I like to start the process in a pan because I find that the tomatoes release too much liquid into the pot.
Serves 4
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken breasts, skin on
1 red onion, thinly sliced
200 g (7 oz) baby plum tomatoes, halved
1 x 150 g (5½ oz) ball of mozzarella, sliced
1 small ciabatta roll, torn into chunks
Small bunch of basil, shredded
Salt and pepper
Dressing
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon runny honey
2 garlic cloves, crushed
To serve
Sauté potatoes
Crisp side salad
Conventional method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Heat the oil in a large shallow ovenproof pan set over a medium to high heat. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, and cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden. Remove from the pan, then pop in the onion and tomatoes, reduce the heat and cook for a few minutes.
Add the chicken breasts back in, season with salt and pepper and transfer to the oven. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is in the oven, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey and garlic for the dressing. Remove the pan from the oven, then pour over the dressing. Place the slices of mozzarella on the chicken breasts, season with a little more pepper and scatter in the torn ciabatta.
Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the chicken has cooked through. Before serving, scatter over the fresh basil. Serve with some sauté potatoes and a crisp salad on the side.
Slow cooker method:
Follow step 2 as above. Scatter the cooked onion and tomatoes in your slow cooker, then season with salt and pepper. Place the golden chicken breasts on top, pop on the lid and cook on the low setting for 4½ hours.
While the chicken is in the slow cooker, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey and garlic for the dressing. Once the cooking time has elapsed, pour the dressing over the chicken, onion and tomatoes, then lay the mozzarella on the chicken breasts, pop the lid back on and cook on the high setting for a further 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Place the ciabatta chunks on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Before serving the chicken, scatter over the croutons and fresh basil. Serve with some sauté potatoes and a crisp salad on the side.
Oxtail bunny chow
Absolutely no bunnies were harmed in the testing of this recipe! Bunny chow is a classic South African dish of beef curry served in a hollowed-out loaf or crusty bread roll. It’s street food at its finest. Once the curry has been demolished, you then eat the bread, which has soaked up all the fiery, spicy juices from the curry. If you don’t fancy trying the oxtail, then replace it with another 400 g (14 oz) of cubed skirt steak.
Serves 4
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
700 g (1 lb 9 oz) oxtail
400 g (14 oz) skirt steak, cut into
2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
2 tablespoons plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, grated
1 green chilli, deseeded and diced
6 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 star anise
1 heaped tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons tomato purée
800 ml (28 fl oz) beef stock if using the conventional method or
400 ml (14 fl oz) if using the slow cooker method
1 x 400 ml (14 fl oz) can of coconut milk
400 g (14 oz) Maris Piper potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 small bakers’ loaves or 4 rolls, halved and hollowed out
Finely chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
Carrot and onion sambal
2 carrots, julienned or grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon caster sugar
Conventional method:
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole over a medium to high heat. Dust the meat with the flour, then add to the casserole in batches and seal for 5–6 minutes, until golden. Remove from the casserole and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic, ginger (or Time Saver Curry Base) and chilli and fry for 5 minutes before adding the spices and cooking for a couple more minutes. Add the tomato purée and cook for a further minute. Pour in the 800 ml (28 fl oz) of stock and coconut milk and bring up to a simmer.
Return the meat to the casserole and add the potatoes. Put the lid on and cook over a gentle heat for 3 hours. Remove the oxtail from the casserole and shred the meat from the bone. Return to the casserole and cook, uncovered, for another 15–20 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Towards the end of the cooking time, make the sambal. Mix the carrots with the onion, sprinkle over the salt and leave for 10 minutes, then drain the excess liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Spoon into the hollowed-out rolls and garnish with the finely chopped fresh coriander. Serve the carrot and onion sambal on the side.
Slow cooker method:
Follow steps 1–2 as for the conventional method, making sure you use only 400 ml (14 fl oz) of stock.
Put the meat and potatoes in the slow cooker, then carefully pour in the stock mixture.
Cover with the lid and cook on the low setting for 8 hours. Follow step 5.
Remove the oxtail from the slow cooker and shred the meat from the bone, then stir the meat back into the slow cooker. Follow step 6.
Tip: Leave the bread from the hollowed-out rolls to go stale, then grate it and freeze for handy breadcrumbs.
Extract from 'Cook Slow' by Dean Edwards is published by Hamlyn, £14.99. Photography by Ria Osborne
