Beef – braising steak
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I find certain cuts of so-called ‘braising steak’ better for some dishes than for others, so that in all my recipes I generally name the cut and suggest you always ask for it by name too. Unidentified stewing or braising steak can often be a mixture and can cook unevenly, I’ve found.
Below is a list of the cuts that are suitable for braising (and stewing too); as you would see from a chart these cuts are always from the same part of the animal’s anatomy but, confusingly, the way they’re cut varies from region to region.
My own favourite cut for braising, where I live in East Anglia is called chuck and blade steak. In other regions it can be called shoulder, which is exactly where it is.
If you want large pieces of meat rather than cubes, thick flank is suitable: actually from the hindquarters and called round or flesh end in Scotland or bedpiece elsewhere.
Beef skirt comes from below the diaphragm of the animal. It is however an excellent cut for braising and one end can even be grilled if scored across the grain and tenderised by marinating before cooking.
Serves 4Braised Steak with a Wild Mushroom and Madeira Sauce
Wintry comfort food at its best – and busy cooks will be pleased to hear that you can use a ready-made mushroom sauce to make it! Then just put your feet up while it bubbles away for a couple of hours.
Serves 4Ten-minute Goulash
How can it be, you might ask? Well, if you cut out the meat browning process you can make this in just 10 minutes – and won’t even notice the difference! A hearty, spicy one-pot meal for a cold day…
Serves 6Beef in Barolo with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
This is a classic from Piedmont but because Barolo is such a very fine and quite expensive wine, I tend to make this with something less costly but from the same region. Then splash out and buy a bottle of Barolo to drink with it.
Serves 1Braised Steak au Poivre
This is an adaptation of the famous French classic, but more economical because it's made with braising steak. It does take longer to cook but it will simmer happily unattended, and there's very little work involved. The flavour is superb!
Serves 4-6Mum's Steak and Kidney Plate Pie
]First it's important to note that both the pastry and the filling can be made in advance – but don't forget to allow about 1 hour for the pastry to return to room temperature before rolling out. Because my husband Michael likes extra gravy I've inc
