I’ve seen so many recipes for beef cooked in beer or wine, and cooked so many dishes with beef and beer or wine… I have also seen and cooked plenty of recipes using cider with pork and also with chicken…. but I’ve never seen a recipe for beef in cider. Considering I live in Somerset, the cider county, I’m surprised I haven’t come across it before! This recipe comes from near Glastonbury and has the unusual but lovely addition of one of my favourites, butter beans.
I really wish I liked cider; it’s the local drink, produced in many farms and businesses in our county, from local fruit using traditional methods… but somehow I just don’t enjoy it. However, using it in cooking is different, then I love it!
- ½ lb tomatoes, seived
- 6 oz butter beans – soaked in boiling water over night or a can of butterbeans
- ½ lb sliced onions
- 1½ lb beef in 1″ cubes, dredged in 1 oz flour
- ¾ pint cider
- 1 oz beef dripping or butter
- fry the onions, add the beef and fry until brown
- add the drained beans, beef and onions to a casserole
- deglaze the pan with the tomatoes and cider and add to casserole
- cook in a moderate oven for 2½ hours
I think I might like to try this with a few slices of apple added halfway through the cooking, a dessert apple which will keep its shape… I might also add some cloves, a spice which has a traditional association with apples… Yes, I’ll have a go at this!
http://https://youtu.be/2Q6S92nLZO8
Lois Elsden 