Sophie Conran - Sophie Conran’s Soups and Stews

3 tbsp crushed cumin seeds

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp paprika

375ml/13fl oz beer

500ml/18fl oz beef stock (see page 184)

875g/1lb 15oz crushed tomatoes

1kg/2 1/ 4lb cooked kidney or pinto beans sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish

soured cream

grated sharp Cheddar cheese

chopped spring onions

salsa

Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and brown the beef all over. Set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and sweat the onions gradually until they start to colour brown (this stage is very important and gives the dish a lot of flavour).

Add the chopped chillies and sauté a minute longer, then add the herbs and spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the beef, beer, beef stock and tomatoes, bring up to the boil and then simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans and cook for another 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

This probably tastes better the next day when the flavours have had a chance to meld. Garnish with the sour cream, cheese, onions and salsa.

TIP You can play with the spicing to your own tastes—add allspice, fennel seed, other chillies, orange zest, and so on. Go to www.lucky7london.co.uk for an update on Tom’s restaurants.

This is a traditional Belgian dish dating back to the 14th century. I am afraid I have doctored it slightly by using a light beer instead of dark, but the result is fabulous.

2 tbsp olive oil

700g/4 1/ 2lb chuck steak cut into two large steaks

1 tbsp butter

4 red onions peeled and finely sliced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

400ml/14fl oz light Belgian beer

1 bouquet garni

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp double cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid on a very high heat until smoking. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and fry without turning for about 3 minutes on each side or until they have a brown crust. Remove the steaks to a plate and reduce the heat. Drop the butter into the pan and stir in the onions. Cook, stirring every now and then, for about 10 minutes until they are soft. Pour in the vinegar and sugar and give the onions a good stir. Continue stirring every now and again for another 10 minutes or until the onions have become caramelised and slightly gooey.

Return the steaks to the pan, pour the beer over them and drop in the bouquet garni. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid and pop in the oven for 3 hours, checking every hour or so to make sure it is not drying out. Add some water if it is, to keep it moist, and turn over the pieces of meat. Remove the pan from the oven and put it back on the hob. Transfer the meat to a plate and discard the herbs. Turn up the heat and reduce the sauce to about half the quantity.

Meanwhile, mix the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and cream in a bowl. Once the sauce has reduced, slice the meat into 2cm/ 3/ 4inch strips and return to the pan with any juice. Stir in the cream and mustard mixture and heat through. Serve with mashed potatoes (see page 187), and carrots tossed in butter and chopped tarragon.

My son Felix goes nuts for osso bucco which literally means bone with a hole—it is his favourite dish. The meat becomes so tender, you can cut it with a spoon.With or without the gremolata, it is an easy and satisfying stew.

2 tbsp olive oil

4 large pieces of veal shin, or osso bucco with bones in (about 2kg/41/4lb in total)

1 tbsp plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper

50g/2oz butter

1 large red onion peeled and chopped

1 rib of celery cleaned, trimmed and chopped

2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped

150ml/5fl oz white wine

400g tin of plum tomatoes

about 150ml/5fl oz beef stock (see page 184)

2 strips of orange peel (use a potato peeler)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the risotto

2 tbsp olive oil

100g/3 1/ 2oz butter

1 Spanish onion peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped

5 handfuls of risotto rice

(1 for each person and 1 for the pot)

150ml/5fl oz white wine

about 1.5 litres/2 1/ 2pints chicken stock (see page 185)

1 large pinch of saffron threads

1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan sea salt to taste

For the gremolata

2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped

zest of 1 lemon finely chopped

1 handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat the oil in a pan with a lid big enough to take the meat all in one layer. Coat the meat in the seasoned flour and fry over a medium to high heat, turning once until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat, add the butter and gently fry the onion and celery for 10 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the garlic, pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any flour sticking to the bottom, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Throw in the tomatoes, stock and strips of orange peel, giving the tomatoes a bit of a mash with your spoon. Return the meat to the pan and submerge it in the sauce. Cover the pan and leave to gently simmer for 2 hours, stirring from time to time, turning the meat and adding some water if it starts to dry out.

After about 90 minutes, start making the risotto. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large pan and gently fry the onion for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and rice and fry, stirring continuously, for a couple of minutes. Glug in the wine and let it bubble until it is all but evaporated.

Meanwhile, heat the stock in a pan. Ideally, it should be kept warm for the whole process. Sprinkle the saffron and a pinch of salt into the rice and stir through. From now on it’s a pretty repetitive process involving adding about a wine glass full of stock and stirring a lot, until the rice has absorbed almost all the stock, then adding some more and repeating.

This should continue until the rice is almost cooked, but with still a tiny little bite to it. Take off the heat and, using a wooden spoon, gently beat the rest of the butter and the Parmesan into the rice.

When your meat is extremely tender and beginning to fall off the bone, it is ready to plate up. Mix together the ingredients for the gremolata in a bowl, and sprinkle on top of the osso bucco. Serve with the risotto.

LAMB SOUPS

WELSH CAWL

SCOTCH BROTH

LAMB AND NOODLES WITH SEVEN PRECIOUS INGREDIENTS

AUBERGINE, LAMB AND CHICKPEA SOUP

LAMB STEWS

Dave Myers & Si King aka ‘The Hairy Bikers’

LANCASHIRE HOTPOT

SPICED LAMB WITH BEANS

LAMB SHANKS WITH CARAMELISED ONION

MEXICAN LAMB

SPANISH LAMB SHOULDER WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Vicki Conran’s

IRISH STEW

LAMB WITH PRESERVED LEMON

This soup is as Welsh as dragons and has its roots in the mists of time. I am not sure why it is called cawl—I have found some reference to the caul being a sheep’s stomach and occasionally being used as one of the ingredients. However, cawl nowadays seems to mean soup in Welsh and there are as many varieties as there are mountains in Wales. It is reputed to taste even better if you gently sing in Welsh as the pot simmers.