A hearty traditional beef stew slow-cooked with stout and winter vegetables, served with creamy mash. Perfect for cold winter days.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 kilogramme of stewing beef, cut into large chunks
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 10 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2 tablespoons of plain flour
- 500 millilitres of stout
- 1 whole beef stock cube
- 1 pinch of granulated sugar
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 1 large sprig of thyme
- Creamy mash, to serve
Steps
- Heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Celsius for fan ovens, gas mark 3). Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole dish, brown the meat really well in batches, then set aside. Add the onion and carrots to the dish, give them a good browning, then scatter over the flour and stir. Tip the meat and any juices back into the dish and give it all a good stir. Pour over the stout and crumble in the stock cube. Season the stew with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Tuck in the herbs and bring everything to a simmer.
- Cover with a lid and place in the oven for about 2½ hours until the meat is really tender. The stew can now be chilled and frozen for up to 3 months – defrost completely before reheating until piping hot. Leave the stew to settle a little, then serve with creamy mash for a true celebration of winter vegetables.