Slow Cooked Rib of Beef & bouquet garni

For the beef, divide into 2 ribs per portion (or ask the butcher to do this). Heat a little oil in a large pan and brown the beef in batches. Remove and set aside.

Make the bouquet garni by placing the herbs and peppercorns in a layer of leek skin. Roll it up tightly and tie with string.

Add the vegetables and a little extra oil to the beef juices in the pan. Cook, stirring and season with salt. Add 2 tablespoons of plain flour and stir in. Add a tablespoon of tomato puree and cook through. When the veg starts to catch on the bottom, add a bottle of red wine and scrape off the caramelised bits at the base of the pan, stirring well.

Return the beef to the pot. Add the bouquet garni and stock to cover the beef and put the lid on. Leave to simmer gently for 2-3 hours on a low heat.

After 2 hours, check to see if the beef is tender. When it’s ready, remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Strain the gravy. Set back on the hob and reduce until the gravy is rich and thick. Place the meat back in for the last few minutes to heat through and soak up the gravy flavours.

Dumplings

For the dumplings, peel and halve the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Leave on the heat for a minute to dry off then mash.

Whisk the eggs and add the softened butter and sieved plain flour to the hot potato mash. Fold in and combine until you have a dough. Fold in the chopped parsley and rosemary. Check the seasoning.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface. Lightly work the mixture with your hands. Cut sections off and roll very lightly into tubes then cut into cubes (8 per portion). Dust the dumplings with flour and put into salted boiling water. They’re cooked when the dumplings float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a dry kitchen towel.

When you’re almost ready to serve, fry the dumplings in a little vegetable oil then add a little butter to the pan and continue to fry quickly until golden brown. Grate over a little hard cheese at the end.

Cabbage

For the cabbage, chop and steam. Toss in butter, season and serve immediately with the dumplings, a portion of beef and gravy poured over.