This is the beef stew I cooked for Ireland’s Best Home Cook competition. Lots of you have been asking for this recipe so here you go, as promised 😉
I was actually planning on having lots of salads this week, but then met eireann went and issued a weather warning, hey ho, back to the winter dinners!
Ingredients:
1 lb diced beef
1 onion
5 carrots
3 sticks celery
1 tbsp port
25g tomato puree
25g plain flour
1/2 beef stock cube (I use Kallo organic)
1/2 mushroom stock cube (as above)
1 pint of water
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup (yes, tomato ketchup!)
Method:
Fry the onion in a large saucepan until soft. Add the beef and fry until browned on all sides. Add the chopped veggies and and turn the heat right down. I usually move mine over to the stove top at this stage…
Add the puree and stir through. Add the flour and stir, making sure it is cooked out – otherwise you will have a lumpy stew 😛
The port goes in at this stage, stir and gradually add the stock.
Simmer for about 3 hours. The meat should be really tender and the stew will have thickened.
I usually serve this with some really buttery, creamy mashed potato.
This stew like any tastes better the next day. You could pop a pastry case on top and bake it in the oven for a variation on the day before…