Beef & Orange Stew
Can’t summer come any sooner? Aren’t you fed up with being stuck indoors all day? We certainly are…
Especially Gabriel who wants to tear the house down out of boredom. By now he knows every nook and cranny in the house and is driving me up the walls by pulling books off bookshelves and bashing his trucks and trains against any object imaginable to see how much of a racket he can make.
His behaviour reminded me of those nutty dogs on TV who are in big trouble with their owners and needs to be disciplined. A lot of them seem to be Border Collies. What do Border Collies need the most? Exercise! I looked out of the window and it’s wet but not raining. Then I checked the rain forecast and it seemed all clear for a few hours. Luckily it hasn’t been very cold today, so no worries about icy patches to slip on. On with the jackets and shoes and out the house we skedaddled.
Although the park and all its soggy grass were out of the question, there was still a bit of pavement we could walk on in the tiny village. It was refreshing to be out in the open again and suddenly Gabriel was as good as gold. The walk was a quiet one with only a few cars whooshing past us and we only passed one person, the post lady on her red bicycle, who Gabriel was too shy to look at and intently studied the ground.
When we arrived home my Border Collie sat on the sofa in front of the TV with a huff, completely subdued. Ahhh, bliss. Now I could actually cook something for lunch.
The stew is somewhat unusual in its beef and orange combination but well worth a try if you are bored with your own repertoire of stews. Unlike most of the recipes on Greedy Gourmet, I would suggest you don’t tinker too much with the flavour ratios of this dish. I have done this, e.g. add more orange, and it didn’t live up to expectations. Just stick with the recipe, okay?
Download and/or print the recipe! Click HERE.
Beef & Orange Stew
Preparation: 10 mins – Cooking Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Ingredients
- 15ml (1 tbsp) corn flour/corn starch
- 500g (1 lb) braising beef, trimmed and cut into small cubes
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
- 15ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 1 orange, grated rind and juice
- 15ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce or Tamari
- few sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
- Put the corn flour into a paper bag. Season with salt and pepper, then add the meat cubes and toss to coat.
- Fry the onion in the oil until soft.
- Add the meat and fry while turning to seal, until evenly browned.
- Transfer to a flameproof casserole with a lid. Stir in the orange rind, thyme, orange juice and soy sauce.
- Top up with water, bring to the boil and put on the lid.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C/fan150°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for about 1½ hours. Serve hot.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with baked jacket potatoes and green vegetables.
I’m so sorry Michelle! The first thing that caught my eyes is your Le Creuset! I have been wanting to get one!!!
by Mrs Ergül
on 05. Feb, 2010
The sentiment rings true for me! I did a pork casserole tonight that involved oranges, olives, smoked paprika and some sweet peppers in a vague Spanish way to try and conjure up some sunshine in pot!
by Helen T
on 07. Feb, 2010