Slow Cooked Beef Stew
Here is a slow-cooked beef stew recipe that’s a perfect winter weekend meal. You can put it on in the morning then leave to do its thing while you find time to go and enjoy yourself. I must credit my husband with this recipe. It is one of his ‘signature dishes’. One really top tip with this slow-cooked beef stew is to ask the butcher for a smallish piece of bone (a marbled piece ideally, that’s rich in marrow and collagen), which can be placed in the slow cooker alongside your beef and other ingredients. Over time, the bone will release much of its nutritional goodness, making the stew extra nourishing.
INGREDIENTS
(TO SERVE 4-6 PEOPLE, DEPENDING ON HOW VORACIOUS THE APPETITE IS OF THOSE YOU ARE FEEDING)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 kg shin of beef, diced (ask the butcher to do this for you)
Optional: A small piece of bone (about the side of your hand). The butcher should be able to provide this.
2 red onions, diced
3 large or 6 small carrots, sliced
2 sticks of celery, sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large glass of red wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml water
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Plenty of salt and black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Using a large frying pan, heat the olive oil at moderate heat, then add the onion and cook for a few minutes until translucent and soft. Then add the garlic and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, stirring continuously to avoid burning. Transfer to the slow cooker.
Using the same pan, sear the diced beef and then transfer it to the slow cooker.
Next add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, including the bone, and mix everything well.
Cook on high heat for at least 6 hours. You will know when the meat has been cooked for long enough because it will be very tender. Remove and discard the bone.
Taste before serving as it may need more seasoning.
We enjoyed ourselves on a bed of buttered kale (the beef stew, not us.)
