Winter in the west Highlands. . .

I know it's got absolutely nothing to do with cooking, but this was the scene outside our house this morning when the sun came up. We haven't seen much of the sun lately, and as it was just a lovely picture I thought I'd put it up!

One pot winter warmer

Well, it looks like today's going to be a write-off weather-wise, so here's a recipe to keep the cold at bay.

Prepping: 20 minutes                          

Cooking: 2 hours approx

Serves: 4 hungry people

Ingredients:                                                                  

600gm topside of beef cubed                         

400gm butter beans                                         

300gm cannelloni beans                                  

300gm pinto beans                                          

12 shallots peeled                                                        

8 medium mushrooms quartered

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pint beef stock or boiling water

Herbs & Spices:

1 tsp hot paprika powder

1 tbsp coarse ground pepper

2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs mixed dried herbs

Method:

• Sprinkle beef cubes with flour and pat all sides. Heat oil in large pan and add the beef cubes.
• Sear all sides and once sealed remove from pan. Add shallots to same pan and cook in beef juices for 5 minutes or till they are slightly coloured. Reduce temperature to lowest setting.
• Put beef cubes back in pan along with paprika, pepper & tomato paste. Mix well making sure all the gooey mix at the bottom on the pan starts lifting to give a deep dark texture. Add all the beans, mushrooms, vinegar and beef stock/water.
• Stir, bring to the boil and then throw in the bay leaves and dried herbs. Reduce temperature to low and cover the pan. Simmer for 1½ hours or till the gravy thickens and beef is tender.
• Serve with mashed potatoes mixed with wholegrain mustard.

Notes:

1. I used canned beans to save time. Drain excess liquid before adding to pan.
2. The bottom of the pan will catch but don’t panic - that is what will make the base of the gravy, giving a rich flavour to the whole dish. When the meat is simmering in low heat, gently mix the liquid with ingredients caramelized at the bottom of the pan.
3. Add 1 cup of red wine to give it an even deeper flavour.
4. If you want thicker gravy, cook in high heat for 15 minutes with the lid off. This should be done after about an hour of simmering to ensure beef is meltingly soft.