Slow Cooked Beef Stew
For the ultimate comfort food on a cold night, you can't beat this tasty, slow-cooked stew! Best served with buttery mash & crusty bread!
Serves 8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 kg braising/stewing beef chopped into bite-size chunks
3 tbsp plain flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
3 large onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp red currant jelly or cranberry sauce
750 ml red wine
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large parsnips, peeled & chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small swede, peeled and chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
1 litre beef stock
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 bay leaves
2 tsp dark brown sugar
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp crushed black pepper
To serve:
Buttery mashed potato
Chunks of fresh crusty bread
Fresh thyme
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F
2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan or casserole. Dust the chunks of beef in the flour and fry the beef for 7-8 minutes until golden brown all over. Add the onions and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the red currant jelly, then pour in the red wine and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add in the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, swede, celery, stock, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil then place a lid on and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours – stirring a couple of times during cooking (alternatively you could transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours).
4. Serve topped with a little fresh thyme, buttery mash and some freshly cut bread. Enjoy!