Slow-cooked beef with root vegetables
Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4-6
60ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1kg braising beef, cut into 4cm cubes
Salt and black pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
½ celeriac, peeled and diced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
3 large shallots, peeled and chopped
2 leeks (white and light green part only), diced
1 small bunch thyme
4 bay leaves (ideally fresh)
1 ½ bottles red wine
3 litres chicken stock
1 savoy cabbage, core removed, heart finely sliced
Heat half the oil in a large casserole dish over a medium heat. When the oil is smoking, add the beef, season and cook on all sides for about 15 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the dish and set aside.
Turn down the heat, add the remaining oil and gently fry the garlic for two to three minutes, without colouring. Add the carrots, cook for one minute, then add the celeriac and parsnips, and cook for a further two minutes. Add the shallots, leeks, thyme and bay leaves, stir and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Pour in the wine, then cook over a high heat until it has reduced by half. Add the stock and beef, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, skimming off any froth that rises to the top.
Cover the casserole with a lid or foil and cook for two hours, then uncover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, cook the cabbage for two to three minutes, then drain, season, and stir in a splash of olive oil. Serve the stew with the cabbage on top.
Caldereta de pescado y marisco (fish stew)
Prep 30 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4-6
For the caldereta
25ml light olive oil (such as arbequina)
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
100g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pinch saffron
2 tsp sweet pimentón
125ml dry white wine
100ml Spanish brandy
100ml manzanilla or fino sherry
80ml pastis
150g potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1.7 litres good-quality fish stock
4 langoustines, cut in half lengthways
12 prawns, peeled
8 mussels
400g fish (monkfish, red mullet and cod), cut into 2cm pieces
2 slices white bread
1 garlic clove, peeled
For the picada
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
50g hazelnuts, whole, blanched, lightly toasted
50g almonds, whole, blanched, lightly toasted
A drizzle of light olive oil
First, make the picada. In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic, parsley, hazelnuts and almonds with a drizzle of arbequina olive oil, until a paste forms.
For the caldereta, heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat, add the onion and cook until golden. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until a paste forms.
Stir in the saffron, then the picada and pimentón. Pour in the wine, brandy, sherry and pastis, and cook for two minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Add the potatoes, stir for a minute, then pour in the stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the langoustines, prawns, mussels and fish, and cook for five to seven minutes, then season to taste.
In a medium-sized pan, fry the bread in a drizzle of olive oil until golden. Rub one side with garlic and serve with the caldereta.
The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US.
Chicken with roasted red peppers
Prep 20 min
Soak 2 hr
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4-6
8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 free-range chicken, cut into pieces
Salt and black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
2 onions, peeled and sliced finely into half moons
3 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water for 2 hours
4 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp tomato puree
8 medium tomatoes, diced
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
1 small bunch thyme
3 bay leaves, ideally fresh
750ml chicken stock
8-12 tinned or jarred piquillo peppers, drained and sliced
4 tbsp chopped fresh chives
4 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Heat half the oil in a large casserole dish. Add the chicken pieces, season, then cook on all sides for about 15 minutes, until browned. Remove from the dish and set aside.
Add the rest of the oil, along with the carrot, garlic and onions, and fry for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Drain the dried chillies and remove the seeds, then slice and add to the pan. Cook for five minutes, then add the smoked paprika, sugar, tomato puree and diced tomatoes.
Cook for 15 minutes, then add the potatoes, thyme, bay leaves and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender.
Add the piquillo peppers and cook for another five minutes. Adjust the seasoning as necessary, and serve with the chives and parsley sprinkled over the top.
Lentil and green bean stew
Prep 5 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4-6
400g new potatoes, scrubbed
40ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
250g green beans, topped and tailed
1 tbsp smoked paprika
250g lentils
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves, ideally fresh
1 dried chilli
Salt and black pepper
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, cook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, then cut each one in half.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat and cook the potato halves until golden. Add the garlic, cook until lightly golden, then add the beans and cook for two to three minutes, stirring regularly.
Mix in the smoked paprika, add the lentils plus enough water to cover them by 5cm, then the thyme, bay leaves and chilli. Season, cook on a medium-low heat until the lentils are soft, and season again to taste. (Different lentils require different amounts of water when cooking, so if they’re absorbing more water than expected, add more water a little at a time.)
Spoon into bowls and serve hot.
