Cooking Made Easy – Beef Stew Recipe

With the UK going into lockdown and most of us working mums are not only asked to work at home but homeschool our children as well… cooking has now become a chore!  Hence, I have decided to share a quick recipe which is not only hearty and healthy but also easy to prepare using a selection of root vegetables which you have available.   This beef stew recipe is so versatile and you can make in either on a stove pot (this takes the most effort), a slow cooker or a casserole pot. You can also use whatever root vegetable you have such as onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, potatoes and swede topped with some herbs. I often cook this one-pot dish using my slow cooker as it only takes me about 30-minutes to prep everything in the morning and it is usually ready within 4 hours (if cooked on high) or 6 hours (if cooked on low).  Do try out the recipe and let us know how it has turned out in the comments.

Ingredients

500g Beef Steak 
1 Onion
1/4 Swede
2 Carrots
2 Celery
3 Potatoes (Whatever root veg you have or don’t)
Handful of Button Mushrooms (Optional)
1 tbsp Tomato paste
150ml Red Wine
Fresh Herbs like bay leaf, rosemary or thyme (you can also use dried herbs)
500ml Beef Stock (Fresh or made with 1 stock cube)
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate beef in salt, pepper and plain flour for around 10 minutes
2. Chop all the vegetables, potatoes should be larger than swede and carrots
3. Fry the beef with a little oil in a pan or casserole pot in batches until it is well browned. Remove and keep aside.
4. Add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan and fry the onion and celery (if using) over low heat for 5 minutes, then add carrots and swede and further cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add in the beef, followed by 1 tbsp tomato puree and stir
6. Pour in 150ml of red wine and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stir the pan and scrape off the residue which is in the base of the pan
7. Add about 1-2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce followed by whatever herbs you have such as bay leave and/or thyme or rosemary
8. Add enough beef stock about 500ml stir and at this moment, if you are using the slow cooker, tip everything in it.  If you are using casserole pan, then move it into the oven and cook it for 1-2 hours in 180 C.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve

I usually cook the stew on high for about 4 hours (6 hours on low) ina slow cooker and stir it every hour and make sure there is enough liquid in it – try not to add too much or it will turn into a soup). Gravy should be thick, otherwise, mix some cornflour with cold water and mix it in (around the last 30 minutes of the cooking time). I like to serve this with rice but you can also serve it with some good crusty bread or mash potato. One tip is to make sure you cut your potatoes a little more chunky so they don’t end up being mashed in the stew.

Hope you do try out this recipe and do share your thought in the comment section below.

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