Name: Beef stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h 50 min
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 celery sticks thickly sliced; 1 onion chopped; 2 really big carrots halved lengthways then very chunkily sliced; 5 bay leaves; 2 thyme sprigs 1 whole and 1 leaves picked; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp plain flour; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 beef stock cubes crumbled; 850g stewing beef (featherblade or brisket works nicely), cut into nice large chunks

Beef stew

A traditional braised beef casserole with thick, rich gravy and chunky veg – an ideal recipe for cheap cuts, as slow-cooking guarantees a tender dish

4 hr 5 min total 15 min prep 3 hr 50 min cook 5 483 cal

Instructions

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1 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and put the kettle on.
2 Put 2 thickly sliced celery sticks, 1 chopped onion, 2 chunkily sliced carrots, 5 bay leaves and 1 whole thyme sprig in a flameproof casserole dish with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tbsp butter.
3 Soften for 10 mins, then stir in 2 tbsp plain flour until it doesn’t look dusty anymore, followed by 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 crumbled beef stock cubes.
4 Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, then tip in 850g stewing beef and bring to a gentle simmer.
5 Cover and put in the oven for 2hrs 30 mins, then uncover and cook for 30mins – 1hr more until the meat is really tender and the sauce is thickened.
6 Garnish with the picked leaves of the remaining thyme sprig.