The General Food Store

Ingredients
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
2 fresh bay leaves
½ a bunch of fresh thyme
olive oil
500 g stewing beef (2.5cm dice)
3 tablespoons flour
600 ml Guinness
2 teaspoons brown sugar
450 g potatoes
75 ml milk
1 tablespoon butter

Method
Peel and roughly chop the onions, garlic and carrots, then trim and roughly chop the celery. Tie the bay and thyme sprigs together with string.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large casserole pan over a medium heat. and add the vegetables and herbs. Toss everything in the oil to coat, then season.
Cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the veg is softening, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate.
Toss the beef in the flour and season, then add to the pan and cook until browned all over (you may need to do this in batches).
Deglaze the pan with the Guinness. Add the veg and herbs, then top up with water if needed, to just cover the meat and veg.
Stir in the brown sugar. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water, then drain.
Mash with the milk, butter and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
Put the meat in an ovenproof dish, top with the mash and drizzle with oil.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and crisping up.

Ingredients
1 butternut squash , (roughly 1.2kg)
1 red onion
olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
500 g frozen spinach
1 whole nutmeg , for grating
4 cloves of garlic
1 x 700 ml jar of passata
6 large fresh pasta sheets , (roughly 15cm x 20cm each)
50 g feta cheese
20 g Parmesan cheese
a few sprigs of fresh sage , optional

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
Cook the squash whole on a roasting tray for around 1 hour 30 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the onion, put it into a medium pan on a medium-low heat with a lug of oil, the thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the frozen spinach, cover with a lid and allow to slowly cook for another 15 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated, then remove from the heat.
Cut the squash in half, discard the seeds and skin, then mash up with a fork. Keeping them separate, season both the squash and spinach to perfection with sea salt, black pepper and a grating of nutmeg.
Peel and finely slice the garlic, then put it into a shallow 28cm casserole pan on a medium heat with a splash of oil and fry for a couple of minutes, or until lightly golden.
Pour in the passata, then add a splash of water to the empty jar, swirl it around and pour it into the pan. Bring to the boil, simmer for just 3 minutes, then season to perfection.
On a lean work surface, lay out the pasta sheets facing lengthways away from you.
Working quickly so your pasta doesn't dry out, brush them with water, then evenly divide and spread the squash over the sheets. Sprinkle over the cooked spinach and crumble over the feta.
Roll up the sheets and cut each one into 4 chunks, then place side by side in the tomato sauce. Finely grate over the Parmesan, then pick the sage leaves (if using), toss in a little oil and scatter over the top.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at the bottom of the oven until golden and crisp. Delicious served with a fresh green salad.