Beef Stew Cobbler Recipes

BEEF COBBLER WITH CHEDDAR AND ROSEMARY SCONES

Steps:

• To make the stew, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper. Toss the steak in the four so each piece is coated.
• Heat half the oil in a casserole dish and fry the meat in batches until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and fry the onion, carrots, celery and leek until just coloured. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another two minutes.
• Pour the wine into the pan and heat through. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any charred meat and vegetables from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, bay leaf and return the beef to the pan.
• Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours in the preheated oven (alternatively cook on the hob over a very low heat for 1½ hours).
• Meanwhile, make the cobbler topping. Mix the flours in a bowl. Add the salt, chopped rosemary and 100g/3½oz of the cheese. Slowly add the milk and bring the mixture together. You may not need all of the milk. Try not to overwork the mixture by mixing it too much as this will toughen the end result.
• Tip the mixture onto a floured surface and bring together to form a soft dough. Form the dough into a rough circle keeping it quite thick, about 2.5cm/1in. Cut out eight scone-sized circles. Brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
• Remove the stew from the oven and place the scones on top of the stew. Increase the oven temperature to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Return the stew to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until the scones are golden-brown. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

BEEF STEW COBBLER

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
• Mix together in a large bowl the flour, salt and pepper; add in the beef and mix well to coat all beef cubes.
• Heat half of the olive oil in a large frying pan.
• Add just enough beef to the pan for one layer and not overcrowding, frying until golden brown; remove browned beef to a large 13 X 9 inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining beef, as many batches as necessary.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan and saute the vegetables, just until the onion and celery begins to soften but not brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove vegetables to the baking dish.
• Add the stock to the frying pan and boil for a minute to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the pan, then add the stock to the baking dish.
• Add the wine and the bay leaf to the baking dish.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• A few minutes before this time has elapsed, make the cobbler in a large bowl by rubbing the butter into the flour (until the butter is no longer discernible).
• Mix in the parsley and 6 oz of the grated cheese.
• In a smaller separate bowl beat together the eggs, milk and horseradish; add to the flour mixture and mix well.
• At the end of the 1 hr 15 min baking time, remove the baking dish from the oven.
• For the thickening, add the 1 oz butter to the baking dish, and sprinkle in the flour (a little at a time, mixing well after each addition).
• You have the choice of applying the cobbler by spoonfuls (for a rustic look) atop the stew, or you may easily roll it out with a rolling pin (after kneading it a couple of times) to approximately the size of your pan and applying it as one crust; I prefer to roll it out, then cut it in 8 squares, applying each separately.
• Top the cobbler topping with the remaining grated cheese.
• Return the baking dish to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

SLOW-COOKER BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Fry the onion and celery in 1 tbsp oil over a low heat until they start to soften - about 5 mins. Add the carrots, bay and thyme, fry for 2 mins, stir in the purée and Worcestershire sauce, add 600ml boiling water, stir and tip everything into a slow cooker. Crumble over the stock cubes or add the stock pots and stir, then season with pepper (don't add salt as the stock may be salty).
• Clean out the frying pan and fry the beef in the remaining oil in batches until it is well browned, then tip each batch into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs, or on high for 4 hrs.
• If you want to thicken the gravy, mix the cornflour with a splash of cold water to make a paste, then stir in 2 tbsp of the liquid from the slow cooker. Tip back into the slow cooker, stir and cook for a further 30 mins on high. Stir in the parsley and season again to taste. Serve with mash, if you like. Leave to cool before freezing.

MINCED BEEF COBBLER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Dry-fry the mince and onion in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Stir frequently to break up the mince, until well browned. Add the mushrooms and plain flour, followed by the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, then gently cook for 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, to make the cobbles, mix the self-raising flour and thyme together in a bowl. Stir in the yogurt with enough cold water to form a scone-like dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to the thickness of about 1.5cm and use a cutter to stamp out 12 x 5cm rounds.
• Stir the peas into the mince mixture, then transfer to a baking dish. Randomly place the cobbles on top of the mince, then bake for 20-25 mins, until cobbles are risen and golden brown. This is good served with horseradish sauce.