This week we are celebrating Great British Beef.
It’s an event held annually and this year the theme has been about the environment and celebrating and highlighting all the great things British farmers do on farm that makes British farming one of the sustainable in the world.
Don’t believe that beef farming is sustainable? Well, how about these facts provided by the organisers of the event, Ladies in Beef, to back it up:
- Greenhouse gas emissions from British beef are 52% lower than the global average
- 85% of the water needed to produce British beef is rainwater
- 64% of agricultural land is grass – ideal for cattle grazing
- British beef farming helps provide 19,000 hectares of wildflowers, aiding the recovery of the bee population
- By 2040, British beef aims to be carbon neutral
But enough of the facts, what about the food, we hear you say.
Well, where do we start….
One thing’s for certain is that high on the list of meals to have when pubs and restaurants re-opened for outside dining earlier this month would have been a Sunday roast.
Sure, you can do these at home, but it’s very time consuming and it leaves a lot of washing up.
Why bother when you can pop to your local pub and order a roast beef dinner with a pint of real ale and relax.
Granted, it currently means you need to be wearing a few layers as you brave the great British weather but we bet savouring the first few mouthfuls of delicious beef with roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and gravy was worth it.
And, just think. In less than three weeks, all being well, we will be allowed back into pubs again and taking the weather out of the equation will make it even better.
Plus, after these horrible 12 and so months, it’s time to ‘support local’, whether it’s beef farmers, your local ale house or the sold trader with the trinket shop in the market place.
Viva Great Britain!
Slow
cooked beef Short rib with mustard and Conchiglie pasta
Slow
cooked short rib
- 1 kg of beef short rib
- 4 carrots finely diced
- 1 bulb of garlic cut in half side ways
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 1 glass of white wine
- 500ml good quality beef stock
- 300ml double cream
- 30g French mustard
- 1 bag of cooked Conchiglie pasta
- Salt
- Pepper
- Hand full of chopped parsley
- Olive Oil
Place a large deep frying pan on a medium to high heat.
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and coat in the olive oil and place
in the frying pan giving a good sear on all sides.
Take out the short ribs and leave and place to one side,
in the same frying pan add a little more olive oil and fry the veg of to give a
nice golden brown caramelised colour. Deglaze the pan getting all the flavour
from the bottom of the pan.
Add the short ribs back into the pan add the beef stock
and top up with water till the short ribs are covered with liquid.
Place the pan in the oven with a lid on cook for up to 4
hours checking to make sure there is always enough liquid to just cover the
short ribs. To check if the meat is cooked you should easily be able to pull a
bone away from the meat. Take out the short ribs allow to cool before pulling
the meat off the bone and roughly chopping.
Drain the liquid retaining both cooked veg and the
liquid. Remove the garlic from any of its skin and put with the veg in a food
processor and blend till smooth. This is flavour and will thicken the sauce.
Put the liquid in a clean sauce pan along with veg puree and reduce till
thickened add the cream, mustard and diced short rib cook for 5 minutes. Serve
with a big bowl of the Conchiglie pasta and freshly chopped parsley.
About Chris Brown
Sous Chef of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
