Ingredients

I love using beef shin for a curry, it's one of my favourite cuts for 'slow, low temperature cooking. The wonderful, naturally gelatinous meat really adds beautiful body and general oomph! You can use stewing beef and ask your butcher for a couple of bones to throw into the cooking pot for extra flavour.

Serves 4 to 6

Marinade Ingredients

  • 1kg beef shin, skinned and cleaned, cut into 6cm chunks
  • 1 sachet of Green Saffron Madras spice blend
  • 1 tblsp plain flour
  • 2 tblsp sunflower or light olive oil and a splash more for frying
  • 200g to 250g banana shallots, or small onion skinned, chopped in half through the 'poles'
  • 2 sticks celery, cut into chunky batons
  • 2 bottles stout, (1Ltr), use a rich, dark local brand
  • 1 head garlic, all cloves peeled
  • 1 tblsp redcurrant jelly
  • 1tblsp tomato puree
  • 2 tblsp ginger puree, or mashed fresh ginger
  • 1 tblsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
  • Good handful coriander leaf, sliced

Ingredients

  • 1 large cauliflower, outer leaves removed, and chopped into 20mm slices, florets carefully separated into chunks about the size of golf balls
  • 6 to 8 small potatoes

Mornay Sauce

  • Ingredients:
  • 30g butter, at room temperature
  • 25g plain flour
  • 1 sachet Green Saffron Bombay Potato blend
  • 400ml full fat milk
  • 100ml single cream
  • 75g Cheddar cheese, mature, grated and 50g grated for the topping
  • 50g Emmental cheese, mature, grated
  • 25g Parmesan cheese, mature, grated
  • 2 tsp smooth Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp English Mustard

Crispy chilli herby crumb

  • 200g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 50g parmesan fine grated
  • 30g butter
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds, cracked
  • 1 red chilli diced
  • 3 tsp dill, fine sliced

Method

  1. First, turn your oven to 170°C.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the flour with two teaspoons of the spice blend. Lightly coat the meat chunks with the spiced flour, pop onto a handy plate. Set aside.
  3. Then take a heavy-bottomed casserole pot, add the oil, place on a medium hot heat, shake the excess flour from the meat chunks, then when the oil's hot, fry the beef in a couple of batches so that each piece is nicely caramelised on each side, about 4 or 5 minutes.
  4. Remove the meat to a side plate, turn down the heat slightly, add a little more oil the onions and celery, stir, cook for a couple of mins then pop the meat back in the stout and garlic cloves, bring to a simmer, then cover with foil, pop the lid on and place onto a medium shelf of your oven for about 3 to 3½ hours.
  5. Remove the pot from the oven, carefully remove the celery, the meat and shallots with a slotted spoon on to a platter, blitz with a handheld blender.
  6. Put the pot onto a high heat, reduce to about on third until the gravy is gloopy and unctuous, then add the jelly, ginger, tomato puree and fenugreek leaves, stir well then pop all the meat, etc back into the sauce, sprinkle in the coriander, give it a quick stir and leave it to rest whilst you make the Aloo Gobhi Cauliflower Cheese.
  7. Aloo gobhi cauliflower cheese, crispy chilli herby crumb. A brilliant accompaniment to curries, steak, lamb roasts or even by itself as a comfort food supper

Method:

  1. Parboil the potatoes and cauliflower separately until the florets are just tender and a knife just passes easily into the vegetables, still giving a little resistance, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat and drain. Take a medium-sized roasting tin, pop in the cooked greens and place the florets on top, trying as best as possible to form the original cauliflower shape. Set aside.
  3. Preheat your oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
  4. Take a large saucepan, place on a medium heat, add the butter, stir lightly with a small whisk, then when the butter has melted add the flour, spice blend and whisk to form a roux. Cook for 30 seconds or so.
  5. Measure out the milk and cream into a jug, then pour it bit by bit into the pan, whisking all the time to combine well with the roux, once all the liquid is added, keep whisking and allow the sauce to cook until you see the first bubbles appear, then continue to cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Next add the cheeses, mustards, stir continuously to combine. Once the cheese has melted continue to cook gently for 5 minutes with only the odd bubble or two popping up, stirring occasionally.
  7. Pour all the sauce into the roasting tray, covering the cauliflower, allowing the rest to form a small pool, then sprinkle on the extra 50g of cheddar.
  8. Pop onto a middle shelf in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese melts, and the sauce begins to scorch without burning. Serve immediately!

Crispy chilli herby crumb

  1. Fry the breadcrumbs in the butter until golden then remove from the heat and immediately stir through all the other ingredients. Set aside.