Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1kg gravy beef/chuck steak cut into 3cm pieces.*
1 tin of chopped tomatoes.
500ml beef stock.
2 carrots, peeled & chopped.
1 parsnip, peeled & chopped.
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & crushed.
2 tablespoons tomato paste.
2 dried bay leaves.
1/2 cup of mushrooms.
1 onion, peeled & chopped.
2 tablespoons flour.
Dash of Worcester sauce.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
Herbs to taste (optional).
Salt & pepper to taste.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C.

• Toss beef in flour & fry until browned.

• Transfer to a casserole dish. Keep warm.

• Fry onion, garlic & mushroom for 5 minutes until onion is translucent.

• Add onion, garlic, mushroom & chopped vegetables to casserole dish.

• Add beef stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste & Worcester sauce. Stir ingredients.  Season with salt & pepper.

• Add bay leaves.

• Cover & place in oven. Cook for a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours or until meat is tender, stirring periodically.

• If the sauce is a little thin, you can sprinkle more flour in, stirring in well.

• Serve with crusty bread.

Notes:

This is one of those recipes that can be tailored to individual tastes. Different herbs & vegetables can be added. You may also wish to add half a cup of red wine for extra flavour. Obviously slow cooking vegetables such as carrots should be added earlier, fast cooking vegetables such as zucchini, peas, corn should be added later, to avoid them going mushy.

*Cheaper cuts of beef have more flavour & are perfect for slow cooked stews such as this. The longer the cooking time, the more tender the meat becomes. Suitable cuts include blade, brisket, chuck, gravy, round, shank & skirt.

This recipe can either be cooked in the oven or in a slow cooker. The method of cooking is similar. Brown meat first, add stock, tomatoes & vegetables.