Hot Spicy Beef and Tomato Naan Bread Sandwich with Homemade Fries

Spicy beef and tomato stew is folded in a  naan bread and served with fries

This hot and spicy dish is the perfect warming meal for a cold night in the depths of Winter. It also provides a welcome change at this time of year from the possible monotony of leftover turkey, goose or ham. Although the stew takes a few hours to prepare in total, the good news is that it can very easily be prepared one night, cooled and refrigerated to be heated through the following night. The quantities in this recipe are for two people.

Shin of beef

Ingredients

3/4lb shin of beef (or other suitable stewing beef)
1 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
1 green bell pepper
2 small shallots
1 large clove of garlic
14oz can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 tbsp tomato puree/paste
1 pint fresh beef stock
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Few drops of Tabasco sauce (be very careful not to add too much!)
Salt and black pepper
2 naan breads
2oz sweetfire chilli and jalapeno cheddar cheese (or similar spicy cheese)
Homemade fries or chips to serve

Vegetables and spices for beef and tomato stew

Directions

It's worth pointing out that although the naan breads used on this occasion were bought from the supermarket in a vacuum pack, homemade naan breads are a lot easier to prepare than you may think. If you have the time, of course, and are feeling a little bit adventurous, why not give them a go?

Prepared vegetables for stew

Begin by chopping the shin of beef in to one inch chunks. Deseed the bell pepper and slice in to strips. Peel and finely slice the shallots and garlic.

Shin of beef is browned in a little oil

Put the oil in to a large stew pot and add the beef. Season with black pepper. Brown and seal the beef over a medium heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.

Vegetables are briefly sauteed with the beef

When the beef is sealed, add the green pepper, shallots, garlic and chilli flakes and saute for a further couple of minutes.

Spicy beef and tomato stew

Pour the tomatoes and beef stock in to the pot. Add the tomato puree or paste and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for two and a half to three hours, until the beef is mouth-wateringly tender, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add a little boiling water if the stew is becoming too thick or dry. Taste for seasoning and adjust as required. It's a good idea to leave the addition of the Tabasco sauce to this point and stir well and taste after the addition of each few drops.

Sweetfire chilli and jalapeno pepper cheddar cheese

This cheese is one I found in my local Morrisons supermarket and was deliciously spicy. If you can't find this particular variety, try to get one that contains some form of peppers or chillies but it's not of course essential.

Beef and tomato stew is spooned on to the wider half of the naan bread

If using premade naan breads, reheat them per the instructions on the pack. These ones required to be sprinkled with cold water and heated for one minute each side under a hot grill/broiler. Lay the broad end of the naan breads on the edge of your serving plates and spoon on the stew. Crumble the cheese and scatter over the stew before carefully folding over the second half of the naan and adding the fries to the plate.

Spicy cheddar cheese is crumbled over beef and tomato stew

Sausage and Tomato Naan Bread Pizza

Naan bread pizza may just change the way you think of pizza for ever. Not only is it absolutely delicious, naan bread pizza is a fantastic way of using up leftover food items, including everything from the naan bread itself, to perhaps roast chicken, to - as in this instance - sausages. The items which can be incorporated in naan bread pizzas are virtually limitless and given that I presented a vegetarian naan bread pizza on this blog a few weeks back, I am now evening up the score with this sausage and tomato option.

It is possible of course to use tomato sauce from a jar for this recipe. If making your own, however, as I have done, note that it is vital you leave it to cool before spreading it on the naan bread. Otherwise, it will simply soak in to the naan, making it soggy and spoiling the whole effect of your pizza. Remember, therefore, to factor in around an extra hour to your cooking time for this purpose. Alternatively, make the tomato sauce the night before and refrigerate it.

Ingredients per Naan Bread Pizza

1 10" long naan bread

1 8oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
Salt and black pepper

2 sausages (precooked)
1 medium tomato
1/2 small red onion
2oz pizza mozzarella cheese
2oz cheddar or similar hard cheese
3 or 4 basil leaves for garnish

Method

Pour the tomatoes in to a small saucepan. Peel the garlic clove and grate it in to the tomatoes with a small hand grater. Season with the dried basil, salt and black pepper. Place on a high heat until the tomatoes reach a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until a lush sauce is formed. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside to cool.

The naan bread pizza will need to go in to a hot oven so put your oven on to preheat to 450F/220C before you start building the pizza.

Lay the naan bread on a large baking tray and pour the tomato sauce in the centre. Spread the sauce evenly over the naan bread with the underside of a large spoon.

These sausages which I had leftover were organic pork, Cornish cheddar cheese and tomato. Any type of sausage will do, however, provided they are precooked and ideally cooled. Slicing them at an angle as shown makes for bigger, more attractive slices.

Slice the tomato as thinly as possible and arrange the sausage and tomato slices in even layers over the tomato sauce.

The red onion could also be sliced and arranged in a layer. I prefer, however, to moderately finely dice it and scatter it over the pizza. The flavour distribution definitely seems to be better.

It is important that the mozzarella cheese used for any type of pizza is the firm type, normally labelled pizza mozzarella. The soft mozzarella, usually sold in ball form in brine, is not suitable for this purpose. The mozzarella cheese should be sliced and chopped and the cheddar or other hard cheese should be coarsely grated.

Scatter the two types of cheese evenly over the naan bread pizza. Season with some freshly ground black pepper. Put in to the hot oven for ten to twelve minutes until the cheese has melted and started to bubble. Garnish with the torn basil leaves and serve immediately.

Easy Beef Curry - Beef Bhuna

Curries are in most instances fairly easy to make at home and require only the use of one pot, pan or karahi. One reason why many people are put off making authentic Indian curries is that the ingredients list can be fairly lengthy and when all the spices have to be bought at one time, this can represent quite a substantial financial outlay. There are two quick ways in which you can address this problem. You could consider buying your spices in bulk at what may represent a discounted price, or you could consider improvisation.

Bhuna is a curry which is usually made from a number of different spices. This was therefore an experiment, in order to determine how authentic I could make a beef bhuna taste without using an excessive number of ingredients. I was delighted with this first time result and hope you will give it a try. It can be served with boiled or fried rice, chapatis or - as in this instance - naan bread, which I bought premade from my local supermarket.

The cooking time for this dish is probably longer than you would wish to spend after a long, hard day. The good news is, however, that this beef bhuna can be made the night before you wish to eat it, cooled and refrigerated in a glass or stone covered dish. You may even find that when it is simply reheated (thoroughly) the next night for dinner, the extra infusion time it has been granted makes it all the more delicious!

Ingredients for Two People

1/2lb shin of beef
1 large white onion
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 pint of fresh beef stock
1 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1" fresh ginger root
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaf/cilantro
1 tsp tandoori curry powder
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp garam masalla
1oz butter
Salt to taste

4 small slices of cucumber to garnish

2 small supermarket naan breads

Method

Peel your onion, half it and finely slice it. Melt the butter in a large pot and add the onion. Cook it over a low heat for about five minutes until transluscent, stirring frequently.

Peel and finely chop the garlic and peel and grate the ginger root. Add them next to the onions and fry for a further minute. Add the curry powder and chilli powder and stir well.

The green bell pepper should be de-seeded and roughly chopped. The shin of beef should be diced to around 1", or simply bite sized. Add the beef and brown. This should take a couple of minutes. Add the green bell pepper, tomatoes and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer as gently as possible for two hours, stirring occasionally. If the curry is becoming too thick, add a little boiling water as required.

After two hours, add the garam masalla and the chopped coriander/cilantro. Stir well and simmer for a further ten minutes. Divide between two serving plates.

The naan breads which I bought required simply to be sprinkled on both sides with cold water and heated under a hot, overhead grill for one minute each side. You should of course follow the instructions on the packet of the ones which you purchase.

Lay each cucumber slice flat on a chopping board and cut it almost in half, stopping just before you reach the final edge. Simply twist the cucumber halves in opposite direction and use two slices to garnish the two bowls of plated beef bhuna.