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

Spicy Beef and Tomato Stew with Poached Eggs

Eggs are poached in this spicy beef and tomato stew just before it is served

This recipe is similar in some ways to the Mexican breakfast dish that is huevos rancheros but perhaps has more in common with the North African dish, shakshouka. It is simply a spicy beef and tomato stew, slow cooked on the hob, with eggs poached in the pan as the final stage of the cooking process. It has then been served with some very fresh bread.
  

Principal ingredients for this spicy beef and tomato stew

Ingredients (Serves Two)

3/4lb stewing steak or beef
Olive oil
1 small white onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 green bell pepper
1 pint fresh beef stock
14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper
2 large eggs
Sliced basil leaves to garnish
Fresh bread slices to serve

Sliced onion and garlic is added to the browned beef

Directions

Pour a little olive oil in to a deep frying pan which has a lid. The lid will help the eggs poach properly at the end of the procedure. Bring up to a medium heat and add the diced beef. Brown it quickly before adding the peeled and sliced onion and garlic.  Cook for a further couple of minutes before the green bell pepper (seeded and sliced) is added.

Chopped bell pepper is added to the browned beef and onion

Stir fry for a further minute or so before adding the beef stock, tomatoes, paprika, chilli flakes (if you are using them) and salt and pepper. Turn up the heat to bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer as gently as possible for two hours, stirring occasionally and topping up the liquid level with a little boiling water, only if necessary.

Stock, tomatoes and spices are added to the pot

When the stew is essentially ready, only then is it time to add the eggs for poaching.  First of all, taste the stew and adjust the seasoning if necessary. The eggs should firstly be broken in to a small bowl. This not only makes it easier to add them to the pan, it allows you to remove perhaps any bits of shell which may inadvertently be included.

Eggs should be broken in to a small bowl rather than straight in to the pot

A spoon should be used to make a couple of little wells in the beef and tomato stew. The eggs should then carefully be poured in to the wells.

Eggs are added to wells made in the stew

Putting the lid on the pan at this stage does help to cook the eggs more evenly. They will take about eight to ten minutes, depending upon how liquid or solid you wish the yolk to be served.

The lid should be added to the pan when poaching the eggs

Remove the lid from the pan and scatter over the sliced basil as a final garnish. You may wish to serve the stew in the pan at the table (be sure to sit it on a heatproof board) but it can be dished up in the kitchen if you prefer.

Stew is delicious served simply with some fresh bread