This hearty beef stew recipe is the ultimate comfort food for those cold winter months. Succulent beef and plenty of tasty vegetables are slow cooked in a red wine stock which produces a deliciously rich gravy. Perfect for mopping up with fresh, crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 700g stewing steak
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200ml red wine
- 600ml beef stock
- 2 large carrots (approx 300g) - peeled and diced into large chunks
- 2 large leeks (approx 300g) - thickly sliced
- 200g swede - cut into large chunks
- 200g shallots - peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/140Fan/Gas 3.
- Add the flour to a large bowl. Season well with salt & pepper.
- Tip the beef into the bowl, then stir to coat the meat with the seasoned flour.
- Place a large casserole dish on the hob over a medium heat. Add the oil, then the floured meat. Fry until sealed.
- Pour in the red wine. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the carrots, leeks, swede, and shallots to the casserole dish.
- Pour in the stock. Top with the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Give everything a good mix up, bring to the boil, cover, and place in the oven for 3 hours. If possible, gently stir the stew half way through the cooking process.
- After 3 hours, remove the lid, gently stir again, then return the casserole dish to the oven for a further 30 minutes to thicken up the gravy.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving with crusty bread and pickled red cabbage.
Beef Stew Recipe Notes:
- This recipe also works well in a slow cooker. Simply transfer the ingredients to your slow cooker at step 8. Then cook on Low for 8-10 hours, or High for 4-5 hours.
- I don't add potatoes to this version of my beef stew as it's a great one to freeze, and I find the potato removes some of the flavour when doing so. However, I do sometimes make some mini roast potatoes to serve on the side, or stir through the stew just before serving.
- This recipe can also be made without the red wine, by substituting the wine with an extra 200ml of beef stock. If you do this, I would also suggest adding some additional flavouring such as 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce and 1 tbsp tomato puree.