adam russell

A delicious one-pot of spicy braised beef is a great, stress-free way to fill up a hungry crowd

Mexican beef chilli

beef

white onions, sliced

tbsp chipotle paste

garlic cloves, crushed

ginger, grated

tbsp cumin

cinnamon

plain flour

beef stock

tomatoes

oregano

Heat a small drizzle of the oil in an extra-large flameproof dish. Brown the meat in batches, adding a drop more oil, remove from the dish and set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil to the dish, then the onions, and cook for 7-10 mins or until caramelised.

Stir the chipotle paste, garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and flour in with the onions and cook for a couple of mins. Gradually add the stock, stirring all the time, so it’s fully mixed in with the other ingredients. Add the tomatoes and oregano, season and simmer for 10 mins.

Now tip in the beef, cover and simmer very gently for about 1 hr 45 mins until tender, removing the lid and adding the beans for the final 15 mins. If the sauce is thin, let it boil down for a further 5-10 mins with the lid off. Before serving, adjust the seasoning. Serve with the garlic bread and salsa.

Knock up a quick dough base then choose one of these exciting toppings for an easy homemade Italian feast

5 easy pizza toppings

pizza base, ready-made bread mix

basil pesto

mushroom, sliced

cherry tomatoes, halved

ham, chopped

rocket

passata

green pepper, deseeded and sliced

mozzarella, torn

red chilli, sliced

pepperoni, sliced

spinach

green olives,

sundried tomatoes, sliced

soft goat's cheese

ricotta

artichoke heart, drained

black olives,

rashers streaky bacon

lean beef mince

red onion, sliced

olive oil

basil leaves, to serve (optional)

To make your own base: Make up 300g bread mix following pack instructions. Don’t rise or knead – just roll into a rough 30cm circle on a baking sheet. Or you can buy a ready-made pizza base from the supermarket. Top using suggestions below.

To bake your pizza: Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8, add one of the toppings suggested below then bake for 15-20 mins until crisp.

Ham, mushroom & rocket with pesto: Spread your base with the pesto. Top with ham, mushrooms, tomatoes and some seasoning. Bake as above then top with a handful of rocket.

Spicy pepperoni & pepper: Spread your base with passata. Top with pepperoni, chilli, green pepper and mozzarella. Season, bake as above. Sprinkle with parsley.

Italian goat's cheese & veggie special: Put spinach into a colander, pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt, then squeeze out any excess. Spread base with pesto. Top with the spinach, cheese, olives and tomatoes. Season, then bake as above.

Crispy bacon, artichoke & ricotta: Spread your base with ricotta. Scatter over artichokes, olives and bacon. Season and bake as above.

Beef, basil, tomato & mozzarella: Fry mince with onion and garlic in olive oil over a high heat for 5 mins until browned. Spread passata over your base. Top with mince mixture, tomatoes and mozzarella. Season and bake as per above. Sprinkle with some basil leaves and serve.

Take your barbecue to the next level with this Texan-style beef brisket. Marinated in a sticky BBQ sauce, the meat is slow-cooked until tender and falling apart.

BBQ brisket

about a 5kg/ 11 lb piece of beef brisket

500 ml/ 18 fl oz beef stock

sunflower oil

onion

garlic

500 ml/ 18 fl oz tomato ketchup

ml/ 3.5 fl oz Worcestershire sauce

75 ml/ 2.5 fl oz lemon juice

brown sugar

tbsp malt vinegar

Dijon mustard

tsp crushed chilli flakes

Tabasco sauce

thyme

tbsp each chilli powder and mustard powder

tbsp each paprika garlic powder, ground black pepper, caster sugar

bay leaf

To make the barbecue sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan, then cook onion and garlic for a few mins until soft. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the pan with a good pinch of salt and simmer for 20 mins. Use a hand blender or food processor to whizz to a smooth purée.

Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Make the rub by mixing all the ingredients together with a pinch of salt. Rub the mix all over the beef and set aside.

In a large roasting tin, mix the beef stock and ½ the barbecue sauce. Add the brisket to the tin, cover tightly with foil, then cook for 4-5 hrs until the meat is really tender when you push a fork into it. The beef can be prepared the night before – just leave it to cool in the tin covered with foil, but don’t refrigerate.

To finish the beef, get a barbecue fired up and wait until the coals are completely ashen – you want a low, not fierce, heat. Lift the beef out of the roasting tin and place on the barbecue to char. If your barbecue has a lid, close it now. Cook for about 20 mins, turning it carefully with tongs, until lightly charred all over and heated through. Lift onto a board and serve sliced with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.

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Mexican beef chilli

5 easy pizza toppings

BBQ brisket

Top 3 adam russell recipes from across the web

The most viewed adam russell recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Mexican beef chilli

5 easy pizza toppings

BBQ brisket

The most viewed adam russell recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine