Warming wintery stews

We’ve got low, slow cooking on the brain and there’s no dish quite as comforting as a hearty stew, especially as you can just pop them on the stove and forget about them for a while.

  • Slow-cooked short rib ragu

    Short rib must be one of the most forgiving stewing cuts, as it delivers on flavour without too much work required. We especially love it with this ragu version, which plays nicely with mashed potato, polenta, or tossed through pasta.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 T olive oil
    • 2 onions, roughly chopped
    • 3 leeks, washed and roughly chopped
    • 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
    • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
    • 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
    • 2 bay leaves
    • Salt, to taste
    • 1 can chopped tomatoes 400 g
    • 2 T tomato paste
    • 2 cupswater or good quality beef stock
    • Beef short rib 1.5 kg
    • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Method:

    1. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, ovenproof casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid.
    2. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add the leeks, garlic, carrots, celery and bay leaves. Season and cook for 5–7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly coloured.
    3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and water or stock. Add the short rib, ensuring it is completely submerged in the liquid, then cover with the lid.
    4. Cook in the oven for 2 ½–3 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.
    5. Check regularly to make sure it doesn’t cook dry – add water if necessary.
    6. Serve with pasta, mashed potato or creamed polenta.

    (Serves 6)

    Cook's note: To cook this in the pressure cooker, cook it for 30 minutes over a medium heat so a steady stream of steam escapes. Reduce the cooking liquid over a medium heat.

  • Seafood and chilli stew

    We often seem to forget about seafood when it comes to the idea of wintery stews, but this spicy cioppino will warm you from the inside out. Use any fish and shellfish you like, frozen or fresh will work here.

    Ingredients:

    • 4 T olive oil
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 bulb fennel, chopped
    • 2 sticks celery, chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
    • ½ t chilli flakes
    • 1 t dried oregano
    • 1 T tomato paste
    • 1 Can crushed tomatoes 400 g
    • 1 cup white wine
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1½ cups vegetable or seafood stock
    • 12 Woolworths Uncooked Extra-large Black Tiger Prawns, thawed
    • 500 g Woolworths Kingklip Portions 500 g, thawed
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 2 pizza bases, for serving

    Method:

    1. Heat 2 T oil in a large pan and add the onion, fennel and celery. Cook gently until soft.
    2. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, oregano, tomato paste, tomatoes, wine, bay leaves and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, then season to taste.
    3. Add the prawns and fish and simmer for 5 minutes. Fry the pizza bases in the remaining oil until golden and serve with the cioppino.

    (Serves 6)

  • Vegetable stew with grilled cheese

    Hardy root veg, like butternut, sweet potato and carrots, all benefit from a low, slow braise, so add these in as you like. The addition of melty cheese on top should not be skipped, as it really ties the dish together.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 – 3 Tolive oil
    • 1 onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 leeks, thinly sliced
    • 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
    • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
    • Pumpkin 500 g, peeled and cut into chunks
    • Parsnip or sweet potato 250 g, peeled and cut into chunks
    • Carrots 250 g, peeled and cut into chunks
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 1 cup vegetable stock
    • 1 can Italian tomatoes in juice 400 g, blended
    • 1 can lentils 400 g, drained and rinsed
    • 1 t dried oregano
    • 2 – 3 TItalian parsley, chopped
    • 1 bay leaf
    • Cheese 125 g, thinly sliced (try a mix of Crottin, mozzarella and Camembert)
    • Crisp lettuce salad, for serving

    Method:

    1. Heat the olive oil in a suitable casserole. Add the onion, leek and celery, and gently cook until soft and wilted.
    2. Stir in the garlic. Add the vegetable chunks then stir. Season to taste.
    3. Add the stock, tomato, lentils and herbs. Bring to a simmer then cover. Gently cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasoning.
    4. Top with the sliced cheese then slide under a hot grill for a few minutes, until melted.
    5. Serve with the crisp lettuce salad on the side.

    (Serves 4)

  • Oxtail tomato bredie

    The cornerstone of stews in South Africa, oxtail is nothing short of a national hero. This bredie version calls for tinned and fresh tomatoes, as well as sweet potato, making it a complete dish all on its own. However, we won’t tell if you serve some dumplings or extra mashed potatoes on the side.

    Ingredients:

    • Oxtail 1 kg
    • Ripe tomatoes 1 kg, blanched to remove the skin
    • Chopped tinned tomatoes 800 g
    • 2 large onions
    • 2 large sweet potatoes, sliced
    • Salt and fresh ground black pepper
    • Brown sugar to taste
    • Basil (optional), to taste
    • Tomato paste to thicken if needed

    Method:

    1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the oxtail. Remove from the pan and fry the onions until soft.
    2. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and oxtail. Cook covered, on a low heat for 3 hours (or in the oven at 120° C).
    3. Add sweet potatoes and cook for 30 minutes.
    4. Serve with rice and season with basil (optional).

    (Serves 4)

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