Smoky Beef Stew with Cheesy Pastry Scrolls Recipe
Smoky Beef Stew with Cheesy Pastry Scrolls Recipe
It is fa-reaking freezing in Melbourne at the moment and it is the perfect time of year to be making something that will warm you from head to toe. This smoky beef stew is just the ticket. This is not your average, boring tasteless stew with some meat and vegetables. In fact, this stew ONLY has meat with the richest sauce you could ever imagine – with a ton of paprika and a ton of garlic, cooked in beer AND wine – this stew packs a punch.
Use a spoon when you eat it because the meat is so tender it just falls apart when you touch it. There was only one thing I could do to make it better and that was to top it with some pastry. But not just a plain, pastry pie-topping crust. No, this pastry is loaded with cheese and herbs then twisted into some pretty scroll shapes before baking. How good does it look?
I highly recommend using gravy beef (or shin beef) for the stew rather than casserole meat. Casserole meat has a lot of fat and gristle in it but gravy beef, although a tough cut, it transforms into tender sweet meat after a long cook doesn’t have too much fat that you need to discard first.
You can make the scrolls while the beef is simmering and store them in the freezer ready to pop on top of the dish before it gets transferred to the oven.
Make sure you buy a loaf of fresh crusty bread too so you can soak up all that wonderful rich sauce. I served this with potatoes and carrots on the side to a very happy family!
Ingredients
- 2kg gravy beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
- olive oil to fry
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 head of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 bottle of beer
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 cups beef stock
- sea salt
- cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. corn flour (to thicken the sauce later)
- Pastry Scrolls
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups of your favorite cheese, grated (gruyere, tasty, mozzarella)
- 2 tbsp. chopped herbs (chives, parsley)
- 1 egg + 1 egg extra to brush over, later
- In a large frypan with a lid, heat a tablespoon or two of oil and brown the beef in batches until nice and caramelised. Remove to a bowl.
- Add a dash more oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic until softened. Add the beer and red wine and cook until slightly reduced.
- Return the beef to the pan along with the tomato paste and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper and add the chilli flakes and brown sugar.
- Bring to the boil, pop the lid on and then reduce to a slow bubbling simmer for 1 hour.
- (Meanwhile, make the pastry scrolls).
- Then remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 1/2 hour or so to reduce the liquid a bit.
- At this point the meat should be pretty tender. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary – you may need a bit more salt, chilli or brown sugar. I usually add a bit of garlic powder at this stage because we are crazy for garlic.
- Pre-heat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced/350F.
- Remove the beef with a slotted spoon to an oven proof dish. Mix the corn flour in a small cup with enough water to form a paste. Add to the sauce and turn up the heat, stirring until thickened. Pour the sauce over the top of the meat. Pop the pastry scrolls on top but don’t push down into the sauce. Brush them with the extra beaten egg. Cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Serve immediately.
Pastry Scrolls:
Mix the cheese, herbs and egg together in a small bowl. Spread over one of the pastry sheets.
Top with the second pastry sheet and press down gently.
Cut into 2cm wide strips with a sharp knife.
Holding each end in your hands, twist the pastry.
Roll each strip up and tuck the end under.
Ingredients
- 2kg gravy beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
- olive oil to fry
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 head of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 bottle of beer
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 cups beef stock
- sea salt
- cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. corn flour (to thicken the sauce later)
- Pastry Scrolls
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups of your favorite cheese, grated (gruyere, tasty, mozzarella)
- 2 tbsp. chopped herbs (chives, parsley)
- 1 egg + 1 egg extra to brush over, later
Instructions
- In a large frypan with a lid, heat a tablespoon or two of oil and brown the beef in batches until nice and caramelised. Remove to a bowl.
- Add a dash more oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic until softened. Add the beer and red wine and cook until slightly reduced.
- Return the beef to the pan along with the tomato paste and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper and add the chilli flakes and brown sugar.
- Bring to the boil, pop the lid on and then reduce to a slow bubbling simmer for 1 hour.
- (Meanwhile, make the pastry scrolls).
- Then remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 1/2 hour or so to reduce the liquid a bit.
- At this point the meat should be pretty tender. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary – you may need a bit more salt, chilli or brown sugar. I usually add a bit of garlic powder at this stage because we are crazy for garlic.
- Pre-heat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced/350F.
- Remove the beef with a slotted spoon to an oven proof dish. Mix the corn flour in a small cup with enough water to form a paste. Add to the sauce and turn up the heat, stirring until thickened. Pour the sauce over the top of the meat. Pop the pastry scrolls on top but don’t push down into the sauce. Brush them with the extra beaten egg. Cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Serve immediately.
- Pastry Scrolls:
- Mix the cheese, herbs and egg together in a small bowl. Spread over one of the pastry sheets.
- Top with the second pastry sheet and press down gently.
- Cut into 2cm wide strips with a sharp knife.
- Holding each end in your hands, twist the pastry.
- Roll each strip up and tuck the end under.
Carolyn Murphy
Carolyn Murphy is a married mother of three and regularly provides us with recipes and strange but true stories about her life. When she’s not here, she can also be found on her website pinkpostitnote.com where all her other recipes are located!
