Meals for Under £10: Beef shin ragu

THE Hidden Hut began life as a snack shack on a Cornwall beach and it grew to became a cult destination for those who love great food.

Now Simon Stallard, The Hut’s proprietor, has published a cookbook, The Hidden Hut by Simon Stallard (HarperCollins) £20, out now.

This recipe for beef shin ragu is out of this world.

You’ll need

450g trimmed beef shin

40g butter, plus an extra knob

2 carrots, grated

1 celery stick

2 chopped onions

3 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1 rosemary sprig

3 anchovy fillets

1 tbsp tom purée

250ml red wine

500ml beef stock For the gremolata

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

2 chopped garlic cloves

Handful of flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp olive oil

2 anchovy fillets

400g pappardelle pasta

Shaved Parmesan

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Rub the beef with 1 tbsp olive oil and season. Heat a flameproof casserole on the hob. Add the beef and cook for 3–4 min each side until browned. Lift out and put to one side.

Take off heat and, with pan still warm, add 40g butter to melt, add carrots, chopped celery and onions. Put back on low heat and cook gently until softened. Add crushed garlic and bay leaves, cook for a further 5 mins. Add anchovies and tomato purée. Stir and cook for another 1 min.

Add rosemary and wine. Boil, reduce to simmer. Pour in stock, add beef shin, including resting juices. Bring to the boil. Cover and cook in oven for 3½ hours reducing temp to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 after 1 hour.

When ragù is nearly cooked, start gremolata. Put ingredients in blender, season with pepper, then give it a couple of whizzes. Set aside. Cook pasta, add knob of butter. Once beef is cooked, lift out. Discard bay leaves and rosemary.

Using forks, shred meat and return to sauce. Serve spooned over buttered pappardelle with gremolata drizzled over, topped with Parmesan.