Buffalo

I returned from skiing in Italy last month with a gorgeous fragrant bag of porcini ( a bad harvest left me very short of home dried ones last autumn ) as well as lots of other edible souvenirs. I have been itching to use some of them in something really deep and tasty - a stew inspired by the ragus I ate in Aosta seemed the perfect opportunity. I was lucky to have some lovely buffalo from Puddledub (www.puddledubbuffalo.co.uk). It's a lovely meat, more lean and flavoursome than beef, but can be cooked almost the same. Apparently it should be treated a little more gently than beef, mostly because if its' lack of fat, using a lower cooking temperature for less time, to get the best from it.

Buffalo Stew
Serves 3-4

500g stewing buffalo (or decent beef like shin)
cubed into 2cm pieces
25g pancetta, chopped, or lardons
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
handful of dried porcini, generous as you can afford to be, soaked in hot water
glass of red wine, about 150ml
Approx 250ml beef stock (a quality cube is fine)
sprig of rosemary
flour
oil
salt and pepper

Season a little flour with some salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Heat a generous glug of oil to a fairly hight heat in a sturdy pot. Lightly coat the meat cubes and fry in a couple of batches until browned in the oil, turning to do each side. Put aside, turn the heat down a little and add a little more oil and the pancetta, stirring for a minute or two, then the onion. Soften for a few minutes and ensure that any flour stuck to the pan doesn't burn. Add the garlic and the mushrooms which you should squeeze a little, reserving the liquid and roughly chop, then the red wine.

Bring it to the boil the add the mushroom soaking liquid (carefully to avoid any bits from the bottom!), the rosemary and enough stock to cover the meat. Ensure the stew comes up to the boil and then turn the heat down and cover. Cook over a very low heat so that it only just simmers - just a few bubbles should be gently rising - for about 1 1/2 hours, adding a little more stock of it's getting too thick or removing the lid to let it thicken for about the last 20 minutes if you want to reduce it a little. If you are using beef it will probably want half an hour or so longer. Check that the meat is really tender and the seasoning, I put in lots of pepper .

If you can't get the porcini add about 250g of chestnut mushrooms, quartered and fried in butter until browned, for the last half hour.

Serve, as shown, with polenta if you fancy something different, or mash and some greens. Oh, and the rest of the bottle of wine you had to open!