Slow-cooked beef shin with creamed polenta
Prep time: 40 minTotal time: 
Slow-cooked beef shin with creamed polenta
A rich, warming beef stew that’s served with polenta for something a bit different to the usual mash. Polenta is a quick win when you don’t have time to peel, chop and mash potatoes
Prep time: 40 minTotal time: 
Ruth Hansom
Ruth Hansom
Ingredients
- 20ml vegetable or sunflower oil
- 500g diced beef shin
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
- 100g button mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 tsp tomato purée
- 100ml red wine
- 400ml chicken stock*
- 400ml beef stock*
- 25ml Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson’s Relish if gluten-free)
- 5g parsley leaves, finely chopped
For the polenta
- 160g polenta
- 550ml vegetable stock*
- 40g parmesan, finely grated
- 30g butter
Step by step
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Heat the oil in a large pan or casserole over a high heat. Add the diced beef, season with salt and then brown on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. Once coloured, add the onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms, along with the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 6-8 minutes to colour the veg, then stir through the tomato purée and cook for a further minute. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the base of the pan, then simmer until reduced by half. Pour in the chicken and beef stocks, then season with black pepper and add the Worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 2 hours, checking occasionally and topping up with water if it looks dry.
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Meanwhile, make the polenta. Put the polenta and hot vegetable stock in a saucepan. Stir well with a spatula or wooden spoon, then set over a low heat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring continuously. Add extra water, if required – it should drop off the spoon when lifted, but not be runny. Stir through the parmesan and butter. Serve with the braised beef, scattered with parsley.
*Use gluten-free stock and Henderson’s Relish, if required.
