Balsamic braised beef with cheesy polenta
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 4
Skip to ingredients
- 500g shin of beefcut into chunky pieces
- 4 carrotshalved lengthways
- 400ml beef stockhot
- 125ml balsamic vinegar
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 tbsp sundried tomato purée
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 350g roasted red peppers from a jardrained and sliced
- ½ a small bunch flat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped (optional)
CHEESY POLENTA
- 200g instant polenta
- 100g mature cheddargrated
- 25g Grana Padanofinely grated
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal504low
- fat23.1g
- saturates11.7g
- carbs32.2g
- sugars21.3g
- fibre3.6g
- protein40.2g
- salt2g
Method
step 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the beef and carrots in a casserole. Whisk together the stock, vinegar, garlic, tomato purée, sugar and worcestershire sauce. Season with black pepper and pour over the beef, then tuck in the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Cover and cook in the oven for 3 hours.
step 2
After 3 hours, remove the lid and return to the oven for another 30 minutes to reduce the braising liquid.
step 3
Lift the beef from the casserole to another dish and use two forks to shred. Taste the braising liquid – if it’s a little thin and watery still, bubble for a few minutes on the hob to reduce. Discard the herbs, then season. Return the beef to the casserole and stir through the sauce. Keep warm.
step 4
Make up the instant polenta following pack instructions, then remove from the heat and stir through the cheddar and Grana Padano with lots of seasoning until melted.
step 5
Heat a frying pan over a high heat and dry-fry the sliced peppers for 2-3 minutes until charring and heated through.
step 6
Spoon the cheesy polenta onto 4 plates, top with the braised beef and gravy, carrots, and the sliced peppers on the side, then scatter over some parsley to finish, if you like.
