Richard's home tomorrow ... Richard's home tomorrow!
I've made him a cake but I'm not going to post a picture of it yet so it's a surprise for him. But I also thought I'd make him a nice beef stew for his first dinner at home. I'm guessing he won't have had much beef while he's been in India and I know that he needs a break from curry! I made it today because the law of stews / casseroles is .. they taste so much better if you eat them the day after you cook it*
There are a few things that I can cook without a recipe: lentil stew, chilli, fish pie, spag bol (I'm embarrassed to call it spaghetti bolognese because it's not even nearly authentic), baked chicken wings and beef stew.
Beef Stew is one of those dishes that you can actually put in whatever's lying around and as it's going to cook for at least 4 hours even the oldest saddest vegetable in your cupboard (or fridge) can get chucked in and be given a new lease of life (if you know what I mean). Both Richard and I love it and even Edwin has been known to wolf it down - although he obviously didn't touch it when I made it last time.
I use beef shin which you really need to cook for 3 hours minimum - longer is so much better! The gelatin in the meat is released during cooking and makes the gravy really thick and delicious and the meat all meltinthemouthtender and shin is CHEAP. Obviously, you could just use normal stewing steak and it'll still taste good, just not as GREAT as if you use shin and besides, I'll judge you**
So here's my recipe for The Best Beef Stew in the World
serves 4 to 6
3 large carrots
2 sticks of celery
8 mushrooms
1 onion
2 fat cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of plain flour
2 tsp mustard powder
pepper
salt
2 tbsp oil
1 cup of red wine
3 cups of water
2 tsp Worcester sauce
3 star anise
2 bay leaves
2 largeish dried chillis
Pre heat the oven to 150°c (fan assisted) / 170°c (normal) / 325º f / gas mark 3 - yes I'm aware that technically by putting it in the oven makes it a casserole, but I DON'T CARE, I still call it a stew
Keeping the onion & garlic separate, chop the vegetables - as they're going to cook for ages, they don't need to be chopped to small unless you want to 'hide' the celery & mushrooms.
Chop the meat into cubes - again these can be quite large but no more than 1 inch cube. As beef shin can be quite tough (when it's raw), use a really really sharp carving knife to cut it up or you'll struggle. Serrated knives are not recommended for cutting beef shin!
Mix the plain flour, mustard powder & ½ tsp of black pepper onto a large plate and mix with the beef. Make sure all the beef is covered with the flour.
(note the onions covered by clingfilm! I was wearing my glasses and my eyes are really sensitive to onions so unless I cover the onions, I'll be weeping and getting mascara in my teeth - never a good look!)
Heat the a large oven proof pan (it will need a lid) on the hob and when it's hot, add oil and gently fry the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes.
Make sure that your pan is big enough to hold everything. I can't tell you the amount of times that I've started cooking the onions for the base of a dish in my smaller (but infinitely better!) Le Creuset pan only to realise that it's far too small and so have to decant everything into the bigger (casserole) pan. Melanie = Idiot.
When the
onions are translucent, add the beef. I know that just about every other
recipe will say to seal the beef in batches first and I used to do it
but then it was impossible to fry the onions. The beef is cooking for so
long, it's not going to dry out. Trust me!
'Fry' the beef for about 5 minutes (you might need to add a bit more oil)
Add the wine, water & Worcester sauce. Make sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to incorporate the flour.
Chuck in the vegetables and the rest of ingredients and give it a good stir. Bring to the boil before putting the lid on and putting it in the oven for at least 3½ hours preferably for 4 or 4½hours.
If you want a thicker gravy, you can increase the oven temperature for the last 30 mins.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green veg. We're broccoli and green beans tomorrow.
My stew is still cooking so pictures of the finished stew tomorrow!
And ta daaaa!
* also, in practical terms, I'll be at work so wouldn't have been able to cook it tomorrow.
**I won't really, I'll just be delighted that you cooked it at all ☺
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