Simple Beef Stew
It’s approaching the deep dark depths of winter here which is a great time for comfort food. And it doesn’t get much more comfortable than a flavorsome beef stew. If you’re looking for a step by step recipe with a detailed list of ingredients then don’t bother reading any further. This one is about fundamental simplicity. Use this as a basis to go and experiment on your own.
You will need three basic categories of ingredients:
- Beef
- Vegetables
- Flavour
Beef
I use any cut, this time it was rump because it was on special but for stew you can use anything, it’s going to spend atleast a couple of hours on the stove so unless you’ve been very unlucky then it’s guaranteed to be tender. Trim excess fat and cut it up into 2cm cubes.
Vegetables
I generally always use potatoes, onions and carrots and then whatever else I have around. Peas, Beans, Celery and Mushrooms are what I had today but you can really use anything. If it’s something that tends to fall apart then consider adding it to the pot 20 minutes before serving so you end up serving stew and not mush. Everything should be cut to no bigger than bite size, you shouldn’t need a knife to eat a stew. I like to go chunky style with mine.
Flavour
This is where you can let your imagination run wild. I alway garlic and stock of some sort, but after that it’s completely up to you. Today I used a little Thyme, Cummin, Ground Pepper and Paprika, as well as a can of diced tomatoes, but you can also consider bacon, basil, oregano, chilli, bay leaves etc etc. It’s only limited by your creativity. Though a little tip if your trying new flavour combinations is to add a little bit at a time, some flavours can over ride the meal.
Putting it together
In a large stockpot brown beef cubes in a small amount of oil over high heat, cook it in small batches so you dont take too much heat out of the pan, the idea is to seal the meats juices inside.
Let the pot cool a little the add a cup of stock and deglaze the pan. (deglazing is a chefs term for scraping the junk off the bottom of the pan to add back into the meal) This adds to the flavour.
Add the vegetables and flavour items. cover with stock and/or water. Don’t use too much fluid or you may have trouble thickening the stew.You want just enough to cover the vegetables. Add the meat back.
Set on a low simmer for least two hours, but longer is better. Stir occasionally.
If the stew needs thickening you can do a couple of things, the easiest is to add some instant gravy powder, just sprinkle it over the top and stir it in. The other is to make a paste with a tablespoon of cornflour and 1/2 a cup of warm water, mix it well then stir into your stew.
Once your stew is at your desired consistency then put a lid on it. You can either serve it straight away or let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days.
Stew is best served with something that can soak up the flavoursome juices, mashed potato or rise is good, and I always try to have some fresh crusty bread at hand.
That’s it
Just remember, Stew is a comfort dish not a five star gourmet meal, play with the ingredients and put your own style on it. If your really stuck and want to use a recipe jus search google for beef stew and you will be given hundreds of options.
Enjoy.
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