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 or greens & crusty bread!  You can cook this in the slow cooker if you do - reduce the stock and wine by half.    
Servings: 8 yield(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 250 mins
Total Time: 270 mins
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1.5 kg braising or stewing steak (cut into bite-size chunks)
  • 3 tbsp plain flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 large onions (peeled & chopped)
  • 4 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)
  • 2 tbsp red currant jelly
  • 750 ml red wine
  • 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
  • 2 large parsnips (peeled and chopped)
  • 3 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 small swede (peeled and chopped)
  • 3 celery sticks (chopped)
  • 1 l good quality beef stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
  • 2 tbsp cornflour (optional)
    • To serve
  • buttery mashed potato or greens
  • chunks of fresh crusty bread
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.
  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 browned all over in batches - set aside. 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, scraping off the residue from the base of the pan.
  3. Return the beef to the pan and add 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. If you prefer a thicker gravy, mix 2 tbsp of cornflour with 2 tbsp of cold water and add a couple of tbsp of the gravy. Now add to the stew and mix through. Serve with buttery mash and some freshly cut crusty bread. Enjoy!