Rich Slow Cooked Beef Stew

January has finally come. The gloomiest, most miserable month of the year, well in Scotland anyway. So I thought I'd bring some warmth to it by making a hearty and healthy Beef Stew. Perfect for getting in a bunch of veg you may be lacking without even realising. This dish does take a while however it's so easy, it's just a matter of preparing the ingredients, sticking it in a pot then leaving it to simmer for a few hours! This makes 4 portions but I could have definitely had more after i'd finished!

Rich Slow Cooked Beef Stew

Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients

• 800g stewing beef

• 1 packet button mushrooms, finely sliced

• 1 swede, cut into chunks ( you can use parsnips or potato instead )

• 2 onion, finely minced

• 2 large carrots, cut into slices

• 2 celery sticks, cut into slices

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp tomato puree

• 2 tbsp high quality balsamic vinegar

• 750ml red wine ( I used a fruity one by Yellow Tail )

• 2 tbsp oregano

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

• 4 bay leaves

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

• Olive oil

Method

- Start by heating the olive oil in a large casserole dish over a medium-high heat.

- Once hot, add the beef chunks and fry until browned all over. I cover it with a lid to let some liquid gather in the dish.

- Once browned, add in the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and swede. Stir everything and cover. Allow to cook until everything has softened.

- Remove the lid and add in the garlic, oregano, bay leaves, fennel seeds and tomato paste. Again, stir everything together for thirty seconds before pouring in the half of the wine, chopped tomatoes, stock and vinegar.

- Stir until everything is evenly distributed and cover with the lid again.

- Now, reduce the flame until the stew is simmering and let it cook for 2-3 hours or until the beef is very tender and falls apart. Remove the lid before the last 15 minutes of cooking to let the sauce thicken. It should no longer be watery and turned to a dark brown.

- Check every 15 minutes and stir to ensure the bottom doesn't burn and add more liquid if needed. Pour in the a bit of the wine with every check until you feel it's rich enough and no more is needed but the more you use the richer as cooking wine over a long time allows the stew to develop a deep and rich flavour.

- Serve in a shallow bowl and enjoy!

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