This low maintenance dish is delicious and very easy to make (although it takes some time to cook). The great thing is you can make it in advance and serve it up when needed, the slow cooked beef also freezes well should you want to double up and keep some for another time. Serves 4+

Ingredients

1.5 kg beef brisket

300- 400ml beef stock

1 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Bunch coriander inc stalks

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp sea salt flakes

BBQ sauce – to bind

Greek yoghurt

1 x pomegranate – deseeded

vegetable oil

Flatbreads

350g bread flour

250g natural yoghurt

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Method

Cooking time 6 hours

Pre heat oven to 170c/fan 150/ gas mark 3

Mix together the paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper then spread over the brisket. In a large pan warm a small amount of oil on a medium heat and sear off the brisket for a few minutes. Remove from the pan and place onto an oven proof dish. Add the beef stock and coriander stalks to the dish. Cover with foil and cook for around 6 hours. Check every so often to ensure there is still plenty of cooking liquid inside.

Once the brisket is cooked remove from the dish and reserve the cooking liquid. Using two forks pull the brisket apart into strands of meat. Place all the pulled meat into a bowl adding some of the remaining cooking liquid. (if there is a lot left it can be placed into a pan and reduced down)

Mix with the BBQ sauce, just enough to bind the meat.

For the flatbreads mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Remove the dough and kneed for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into equal amounts and roll out each piece into a circle shape. Heat a pan on a medium heat and lay each flatbread into the dry pan. Cook on each side for a minute or two then set aside.

Scatter the meat over the flatbreads with a helping of the yoghurt and pomegranate seeds. Finish with fresh coriander leaf and enjoy.

 

Congratulations to Gary on reaching the finals of the National Chef of the Year. 

Whittled down from 33 to just 12, the finalists now go on to cook at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu. The final will be aired at a VIP red-carpet premiere at the Everyman Broadgate cinema on 21st October. 

The chefs will serve up their original menus from the entry stage which allowed each chef to tell their story of the pandemic through food.

To support Gary in the final you can join the live streaming on Thursday, 21st October, 2021. Look out for updates on www.nationalchefoftheyear.co.uk 

 

Gary Townsend is head chef at One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin, Glasgow. See www.hotelduvin.com or phone 0141 378 0385 to book.

Twitter @Chefgtownsend

Instagram- @chef.g.townsend