A Stew of Beef with Ginger, Soy and Apple Juice
This is a fabulous stew slightly amended from Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's "River Cottage Everyday". Stews are the ideal option for entertaining or feeding a lot of hungry mouths as quantities can so easily be increased. In addition, they are a great option for "batch cooking", cooking ahead, freezing and re-heating when needed. I love this one of Hugh's because it is so different to a "traditional stew." Zesty and vibrant, melting beef in an almost Asian style chilli-apple-ginger sauce. Yum yum! And, it is so easy to throw together, requiring minimal chopping. 5 mins is all that is required from the time-poor chef! You can do this with shin or chuck of beef. Shin needs about an hour longer in the oven. Hugh suggests cooking at 120. I have upped the heat to 150. I feel I read somewhere that this is the minimum temperature for the sinewy bits of membrane to properly dissolve into the stew.