Slow Cooker Beef Shin Ragu

Whilst an ordinary ragu with beef, pork, lamb or even in my case turkey mince is a beautiful thing in its' own right, if you have the time, this Slow Cooker Beef Shin Ragu, really does bring this up a notch; it's rich, unctuous, glossy and the meat shout fall apart. 

As with most cheap cuts of meat, beef shin benefits from low and slow cooking and cooked in this sauce, in the slow cooker, the meat will just break away at the slightest touch of the spoon and melt in your mouth. You can easily source beef shin at any butchers, and Morrisons often stocks this; but if you do struggle this would work with other cuts of stewing beef.

If you haven't got a slow cooker, then you could cook exactly as below, just in a casserole pot either low on the hob for 3-4 hours or in the oven at about 150 degrees, and covered with a lid. 

I am a recent slow cooker adopter (Crockpot) and have to say they are a handy purchase, particularly mid-week. While we've been working from home, I've found it really useful to throw some ingredients into the slow cooker first thing; and then can spend some time with the kids when logging off from work before having to tend to dinner. 

This dish does take a small amount of prep in frying off the meat in some seasoned flour, which you could omit from doing if you're time poor, but it does help to thicken your sauce and make it thicker and glossier. 

Often a ragu uses red wine, but I prefer white wine, and I would say use any open bottle; if it's good enough to drink, it's good enough to use.

The below serves 4-5 and can be frozen once cooked so is great for batch cooking too.

Slow Cooker Beef Shin Ragu

Here's how:

• 450g beef shin
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 jar passata (or use 1 tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 glass of white wine (you can use red wine if you prefer)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 3-4 tbsp boiled water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 chicken stock cube
• Salt and black pepper

Firstly place a frying pan on a medium heat and drizzle in some olive oil.

In a small bowl, place the plain flour and season generously with salt and black pepper. Mix a little and then take the beef shin and coat it in the flour so all of it is covered. Now sear it in the pan, just allow it to gently brown on each side. Repeat until each piece of beef shin is seared and then place into the slow cooker.

Peel and finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the slow cooker. 

Finely slice the celery and peel and dice the carrot and add to the slow cooker. 

Pour in the passata, white or red wine and balsamic vinegar. Make the chicken stock cube up in the 3-4 tbsp of boiled water and pour in. 

Add the sugar, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves and then season generously with salt and black pepper. Give a stir and pop the lid on and cook. I use the lower setting and try to cook for 4-6 hours if time allows, but if you are pushed for time cook in 2-3 hours on the higher setting. 

Do not touch the slow cooker for the first hour of cooking to allow it to build up enough heat, and then every 30 minutes or so, carefully open the lid and give a gentle stir. 

To test the meat is cooked through, just use a metal fork or spoon to gently pull at it, it should break up really easily and you know this will be cooked through and delicious.

Serve with your choice of pasta; we prefer the usual spaghetti or tagliatelle but my kids love it with penne or farfalle. Before you drain your pasta, be sure to take 1-2 tbsp of the pasta water and add it to the ragu and mix it through with the pasta before serving - it helps the sauce to stick to the pasta and give it a good coating. Serve with some Parmesan, Pecorino or even Cheddar grated over.

Slow Cooker BBQ Beans with Chorizo

These beans are an absolutely delicious dish as a stand alone on top of a jacket potato or even toast, but they are a great side dish too and one that I often make if we're having any kind of fried or baked chicken. 

The fact that they are made in the slow cooker with no need for any faff too, makes them an absolute winner in my eyes; ideal for midweek when time is often short and any shortcuts are golden.  The smoky BBQ aroma will fill your home while they're cooking too, it's an inviting smell to welcome you home after work or school believe me.

They are made mostly from store cupboard essentials too and if you want them as a vegetarian option instead, simply omit from including the chorizo.

The below is a generous portion for a side - enough to serve x6 people. 

Slow Cooker BBQ Beans with Chorizo

Here's how:

• x1 tin of red kidney beans
• x1 tin butterbeans
• x1 tin chopped tomatoes
• x1 red onion
• x1 clove of garlic
• x1 tbsp chipotle paste
• x1 tbsp tomato puree
• 70g cooking chorizo
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• Water

The only slightly laborious task in preparing these BBQ beans is to finely dice the red onion, mince the garlic and chop up the chorizo into small pieces and add to the slow cooker.

Now add the rest of the above ingredients, and using one of the empty tins, fill that one third of the way with cold water and add to the mix.Give a good stir.

Pop the lid on and then place on the appropriate setting for your slow cooker, I use a Crockpot and use setting 2 for four hours and there is no need to stir during cooking.Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Beef and Lentil Curry

This curry is a slow cooked sensation; warming, hearty and filling with plenty of goodness.

This dish is filling on it's own but can also be served with some rice or breads.

Using braising steak, makes it an economical family meal, but it does take a few hours to cook. It takes very little preparation though, I like to cook it on a Sunday, for dinner on Monday or Tuesday. There’s nothing better than returning from work to such a delicious, already-prepared meal.

The below serves 3-4

Slow Cooked Beef and Lentil Curry

Here’s how:

• 400g braising steak
• 6 sping onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 chillies
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 400g passata
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala 
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 150g red split lentils
• Rapeseed or groundnut oil
• Water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful fresh coriander leaves
• 1-2 tbsp natural yoghurt (optional)

Firstly drizzle about a tablespoon of the oil you’re using into a heavy bottomed pan and place on a low heat.

In the meantime, finely slice the spring onions, garlic, chillies and ginger and add to the pan to offer some great base flavours.

Whilst these are sauteeing in the pan, take the braising steak and cut into large chunks. Take the salt and pepper (I use white) and season generously. You can omit the salt if preparing for small children.

Add to the pan to sear, turning to ensure every side of the meat pieces are browned.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and passata, stir well and continue to cook on a low heat for an hour. Ensure to stir every so often, to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Rinse and drain the lentils and add these to the pan now, cook for a further 1.5 hours, continuing to stir every so often. If the liquid of the dish reduces significantly and you're worried about it being too thick, add a little water.

Before seving with your choice of accompaniments, roughly chop the coriander, retaining a few leaves for garnish, and stir through the chunky curry.

Once dished up, add the yoghurt on top and scatter over the remaining coriander leaves. Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

I'm a real advocate of cooking things low and slow, either on the hob or in the oven; it can really yield some fantastic results and this beef dish, was an experimental triumph.

I used braising steak here - an economical cut, but you could use skirt, shin or any other tougher cut that benefits from slow cooking.

I served this with a quick homemade guacamole, a dollop of sour cream, some sliced jalapenos and a simple salad, but it would go equally well with rice or a filling for a tortilla.

The below serves 3-4 adults.

Slow Cooked Mexican Beef

Here's how:

• 350g braising steak
• 1 white onion
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 green pepper
• Tin of good quality plum tomatoes (I use Cirio)
• 150ml chicken stock (I use Knorr)
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tbsp chipotle paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the quick guacamole:

• 1 ripe avocado
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 red chilli
• Pinch sea salt

Place the oven on at 180 degrees for the moment to pre-heat.

Now prepare all of the vegetables - slice the onions and peppers and place into a casserole dish with the tomatoes.

Add all the seasonings and set aside for the minute.

Now drizzle just a little oil in a pan, and quick-fry the braising steak to just sear and brown the meat.

Once browned, place into the casserole dish, and cover with the chicken stock.

Give a good stir, place the lid (or some foil) on top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

Now remove from the oven and stir, then place the lid back on and return to the oven. In the meantime turn the oven down to 150-160 degrees and set a timer for 3 hours.

If possible, check the dish every 30 minutes and stir, to ensure the meat is still immersed in the liquid and avoid it drying out at all.

When you remove the dish from the oven, check the meat with a fork and spoon to see if it will easily fall apart; if not return to the oven for a further thirty minutes. Then remove from the oven and leave to stand with the lid on for a few minutes.

Whilst standing, this is the time to prepare your salad and any other accompaniments.

If preparing the guacamole, simply slice the avocado and use a pestle and mortar to bash up a bit. Crush in the garlic and slice the chilli as fine as you can, then squeeze over the lime juice and stir. Garnish with sea salt before serving.

Enjoy!

Tip: if you have more time, make a chunkier guacamole with chopped red onion, tomatoes and coriander - the one above is a quick one that can be ready in two minutes.

Skinny Mexican Pork Cheeks

After making my Lower Calorie Chicken Fajitas a couple of weeks back, I got to thinking about how this method of cooking would work really well with my latest favourite cut of meat - pork cheeks.

The lean cheeks need gentle and slow cooking for 2-3 hours to really come into their own and so this makes a great weekend dinner or one to pop into your slow cooker mid-week. They carry flavour really well and with long cooking, become soft, tender and melt-in-the-mouth delicious, so I thought this would be a great dish and happily wasn’t disappointed.

As I’ve raved about before, pork cheeks are incredibly economical – I picked up 300g which is more than sufficient for two people for less than £1.50 – perfect for January when most are feeling the pinch.

This is a great warming winter dish with a smoky spice – serve with some romaine lettuce leaves rather than a wrap and this comes in at just under 450 calories for half of the below. I added 50g of cauliflower rice (coarsely grated cauliflower) fried in the tiniest bit of coconut oil with spring onions and coriander to bring the calorie count up to 510.

I served this with some coriander and spring onion fried cauliflower rice and some romaine lettuce leaves – but if you’re not in fat-fighting mode, this would be great in a wrap or a bun. 

Skinny Mexican Pork Cheeks

Here's how:

• 4 pork cheeks
• 1 packet Old El Paso Smoky Barbecue Fajita Seasoning
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 bay leaves 
• Selection of 2 different coloured bell peppers
• 1 onion
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red chilli
• 100g mushrooms
• Tin of tomatoes
• 1 tsp Chipotle paste
• 100ml chicken or vegetable stock
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper

Firstly pop the oven on at around 160 degrees and place a non-stick pan on a low heat. Season the pork with half of the Old El Paso seasoning and dry fry to seal each piece of meat then place into a casserole dish.

Now finely slice the onions, mushrooms, garlic, peppers and chilli and add to the pan with the tinned tomatoes, chipotle, cinnamon, remaining Old El Paso, bay leaves and seasoning. Pour over the chicken stock and give a good stir then cover with a lid or some foil.

Now place the dish into the oven for three hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. The longer you cook this dish for the more tender and delicious the pork cheeks will be – after three hours it will fall apart at the gentlest of touches – not dissimilar to pulled pork.

Tip: If you’re in a huge rush, pop the casserole dish into the microwave for fifteen minutes before placing into the oven and this should shave off 30-45 minutes off of the cooking time.