Quick and easy
No, I’m not describing one of your sexcapades – that would lose me my job. Here’s a simple weeknight recipe for something you can really call home cooking.
Imust confess – the last time I made a stew, it took me 72 hours from start to finish. Short ribs, cooked at 54oC for two-and-a-half days in my waterbath were mouthwateringly tender and exceptionally beefy, with a wonderful red wine sauce and plenty of just tender veg. But fear not! You don’t need to raid the lab for a waterbath for this stew.
I’ve tried to keep it quite simple here, but feel free to mix it up as much as you want. Beef can be swapped for lamb or pork, but try and pick stewing cuts – they’re cheaper, anyhow.
Start by heating the oil – a good splash – in a large pan. When almost smoking, add in half the beef and get stirring – you don’t want to burn anything, but it needs to brown. Turn the heat down slightly and keep frying the beef until it is really brown on all sides.
Remove the first batch of meat to a bowl and repeat with the second half. Once browned, remove the meat from the pan, leaving behind most of the fat. To this, add the carrots, sliced into very thick rounds. Get them browning too, whilst you halve and slice the onions thickly, with the grain (ie. from root to tip). Add them to the pan, and keep frying. If at any point things seem to be catching, add a splash of water to that part of the pan and stir to loosen it.
Return the beef to the pan, and add a good handful of flour, along with plenty of ground black pepper and the herbs. Keep stirring to get the flour all cooked out, and get rid of any lumps. Slice up the garlic cloves and toss them in with the crumbled stock cube, before adding in the liquid of your choosing – a nice amber ale or a strong red would work well, but so would box wine or just water (fosters?).
Bring to the simmer and let stew, uncovered – I would advise anywhere from two-four hours, depending on your cut of beef. Finsh with worcestershire, and add the frozen peas at the last minute.
