Beef, Ale And Parsnip Pudding. A Song From Poor Things.

Funny or disturbing? I’m not sure.

Feel like making something totally different?

How about this Beef, Ale And Parsnip Pudding?

Basically, a really flavorful stew steamed inside a suet pastry.

I loved the presentation. The taste was even better.

Beef, Ale And Parsnip Pudding

Ingredients for beef filling:

1 large onion , chopped
100g smoked bacon. chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
500g lean stewing beef, cubed
2 Tbs flour
3 parsnips, chopped into small pieces
500 ml brown ale
300 ml beef stock
2 Tbs cranberry or redcurrant jelly
4 thyme sprigs

Ingredients for suet pastry:

300 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp English mustard powder
140 g shredded suet

Directions:

1. Heat a large pan and cook the onion and bacon together for 5 minutes until golden. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add the oil to the pan, dust the beef with the flour, then evenly brown over high heat.

3. Add the parsnips, ale, stock, jelly, thyme and bacon mixture to the pan. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 1½ hrs until the meat is tender.

4. Generously butter a 1.5-litre pudding basin.

5. To make the pastry, mix together the flour, mustard powder, suet and ½ tsp table salt. Add enough cold water, about 150ml, to make a soft dough. Remove one-quarter of the dough and set to one side. On a heavily floured surface, roll out the remaining dough to make a large round, big enough to line the basin.

6. Carefully lay the pastry in the basin (aim to have 1cm of pastry overhanging the rim), then press the edges together to seal. Roll out the remaining one-quarter into a circle big enough to cover the top.

7. Pour off the cooking liquid from the filling into a small pan and set aside. Discard the thyme stalks. Spoon the filling into the lined basin and pour over 100ml of the cooking liquid. Fold over the overhanging pastry and brush with water. Place the lid on top, pressing firmly around the edges to seal.

8. Butter a sheet of baking parchment, fold in a large pleat and lay, butter-side down, on top of the pudding. Cover with a pleated layer of foil and finally tie with string, making a loop for the handle so you can lift the pudding easily.

9. Sit a small trivet or steamer insert into the bottom of a deep stockpot that is large enough to easily fit the pudding basin. Half-fill the pan with water and bring to the boil. Lower in the pudding, cover and simmer for 2 hrs, topping up with boiling water when necessary.

10. Reheat the cooking liquid, boiling it down a little so it reduces into a tasty gravy.

11. Carefully lift pudding out of the steamer. Run a knife around the rim, then turn out and serve with gravy.

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine

I’m feeling a bit grumpy since I got a take down slap today from an artist whose song I shared a few days ago.

You know, I never feel the same about the song or the band ever again (elephant memory here when it comes to these things). That is not fair to the band and I respect that it is their song, but I always wish they would send me a note instead of going right to my file sharing host.

So I made a mistake.

Not today.

Poor Things is sharing this tune on Soundcloud. It’s freaking great and my mood improves with each listen.