Slow cooked stew: Recipe

Beef stew is easily one of my favourite meals. It does take a while to make, but it’s definitely worth it! Every time I make it I change a little something depending on what we have in the cupboards so I don’t have an exact measurement system – just adapt the recipe according to what you fancy!

500g stewing beef

2 onions

1 clove garlic

2-3 medium sized potatoes

2-3 carrots

1 tsp thyme

Pinch black pepper

Beef stock/gravy

150ml red wine

(You could also add things like mushrooms, swede etc)

1. Add a splash of oil to your pan – it’s warm enough when the oil starts to run
2. Slice onions, finely chop the garlic and add to the pan – cook until the onions have gone a little see through (and enjoy the heavenly smell)
3. Cut the beef into bite-size chunks and add to the pan, then fry until completely cooked (some add the beef straight to the slow cooker but I like to drain away the grease first – if you’re following my recipe, I do this by taking the lid of the pan to stop the ingredients from tumbling out, and pouring the oils into the container the beef came in) then set the pan aside
4. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots into small chunks, add to the pan
5. At this point I mix everything in the pan and then tip it into the slow cooker – but don’t turn it on yet
6. Add your red wine and then make enough beef stock to completely cover all of the ingredients. I usually use 3-4 oxo cubes and then pour any remaining boiling water left in the kettle into the slow cooker
7. You could leave it there, but I like to add a sprinkle of black pepper and this time around I added a bit of dried thyme
8. Cook for as long as possible on the lowest setting
9. Optional: about 30 minutes before serving, add some dumplings (packet mix) to the pot
10. Dinner is served!

Day 2

We usually have a bit of stew leftover so the day after I’ll make a pie. It’s really simple and you’ll only need three ingredients to make the pastry:

400g plain flour

200g butter

2-3 tbs milk/water

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl

2. Add the butter to the bowl and mix together to create a breadcrumb texture

3. Gradually add the milk/water until you form a doughy ball

4. Sprinkle a bit of flour onto your work surface

4. Split the mixture in two and roll into shape (we don’t have a rolling pin so I’ve been using wine bottles, water bottles, generally anything tubular…apart from Pringles tins, which I can confirm aren’t up to the job)

5. Press this into a round, shallow (and greased) tin, making sure all of the sides are covered – it also helps to leave a little extra around the top to give the lid something to attach to

6. Pour in the leftover stew

7. Roll and shape the remaining pastry, then place on top – I usually pinch the excess pastry from the sides to the top and then remove any excess with a fork (this is really hard to describe, just use your intuition for this bit!)

8. If you’ve got any spare bits of pastry you could make a little design (fix on with a brush of milk or butter)

9. Cook in the oven at 180-200^oC until cooked, typically takes about half an hour

Enjoy!