Beef and Tomato One Pot Stew with Christmas Tree Pastry

Beef and tomato stew may not be a classic Christmas dish but it is incredibly simple to make and tasty. Garnished with a puff pastry Christmas tree and a scattering of freshly chopped parsley, it can make a delicious, attractive and seasonal meal option, if not necessarily for Christmas Day, perhaps for Christmas Eve or any other day over the festive period.

Ingredients per Person

1/2lb stewing beef or steak
1 pint fresh chicken stock
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 green bell pepper
1/2 small red onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6oz puff pastry
Beaten egg for glazing pastry
Chopped parsley for garnish

Method

It is important to firstly brown and seal the diced beef or steak. This beef was not particularly fatty so a little vegetable oil was firstly added to the pot. Add the beef, season with sea salt and pepper and brown over a high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

The green bell pepper should be halved and the seeds and stalk removed before it is sliced in to strips of around a half inch thick. The half red onion should be thinly sliced. Add the pepper, onion and chilli flakes to the browned beef. Season and fry off for a further couple of minutes.

Pour the chicken stock and tomatoes in to the pot. Turn up the heat until the liquid begins to boil then reduce to achieve the gentlest possible simmer.

The stew will take two and a half to three hours, simmering uncovered, until the beef is beautifully tender. Stir occasionally and monitor the liquid level, topping up if and when necessary with a little boiling water.

Roll the pastry out to a rectangle about four by six inches and to a thickness of around a quarter inch. You could use a template of a Christmas tree - or any other design you choose - but freehand was used to cut this tree from the dough with a small, very sharp knife. Very lightly grease a baking tray and lay the Christmas tree in the centre. Glaze with beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until risen and golden.

Check the stew for seasoning and ladle or spoon in to a deep serving plate. Scatter with the chopped parsley garnish and lay the Christmas tree on top.

Chicken Legs Christmas Dinner for One with Traditional Trimmings

Chicken legs - or chicken leg and thigh portions - can essentially be viewed as a smaller, juicier alternative to turkey drumsticks for Christmas dinner. They can be purchased separately in many supermarkets and are fairly quick and easy to cook. Alternatively, why not buy a whole chicken, cut it up in to manageable portions and refrigerate or freeze what you don't immediately require for later use?

These chicken leg portions are from a small chicken so both have been used to make one portion. They were simply roasted in the oven, before being served with potato and parsnip mash, pan roasted baby potatoes, Brussels sprouts and a little bit of redcurrant jelly as an alternative to cranberry sauce.

Ingredients

2 chicken leg portions (leg and thigh, skin on)
5 baby new potatoes
1 medium baking potato
1 medium parsnip
3 Brussels sprouts (or as desired)
Vegetable oil
Butter
Sea salt, black pepper and white pepper
Tsp redcurrant jelly

Method

It is necessary to cook and cool the baby new potatoes before they are pan roasted so this has to be your first step. Wash but don't peel them and add them to a small pot with some sea salt and enough cold water to comfortably cover them. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for thirty minutes. Drain the potatoes well, return them to the empty pot, cover and set aside to cool completely.

Preheat your oven to 400F/200C. Very lightly oil a roasting tray. Season the undersides of the chicken leg portions with sea salt and black pepper. Lay them skin side up on the tray. Season the skin sides well, particularly with salt. This helps the skins to crisp up during cooking. Bake for thirty to forty minutes, depending upon the size of your chicken legs (thirty minutes in this instance).

Peel the larger potato and the parsnip. Chop in to approximately one inch pieces. Add to a pot of cold, salted water and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for twenty-five minutes.

Remove any dead leaves from the Brussels sprouts. They will require to be added to some simmering salted water for ten to twelve minutes.

When the baby potatoes are cool, the skin should easily peel off by hand. Pat the peeled potatoes dry in some kitchen paper and deep fry at a fairly high heat for five or six minutes, until beautifully golden brown and crisp on the outside. Drain on some fresh kitchen paper.

While the baby potatoes are roasting, remove the chicken legs from the oven and pierce the thigh at the thickest part with a metal skewer. Ensure the juices run clear. Cover the tray with foil and set aside to rest while the preparation of the remainder of the ingredients is completed.

Drain the potato and parsnip pieces through a colander and return them to the empty pot. Add about half an ounce of butter and season with some white pepper. Mash with a hand masher.

Lay the chicken legs on a heated serving plate and use an ice cream scoop to plate the mash in an attractive fashion. Drain the sprouts well and add them alongside, followed by the roasted potatoes. Spoon on the redcurrant jelly and serve and enjoy this delicious alternative take on a traditional Christmas dinner with trimmings.