Hearty Beef Stew

As the weather becomes colder and colder, I crave hearty and filling meals that remind me of my childhood. Here is a good old classic: beef stew. Of course, anyone can cook a stew, and you don't need a recipe. It's just meat in a broth, cooked slowly until tender. But I want to share my tips to make a stew that's thick, tasty and very economical.

First, I use some stewing beef, such as chuck steak. I get about a kilo of it, and cut it into roughly one inch chunks. I brown the beef in a little oil in batches - no more than about 6 cubes of beef browning at one time. After it's all browned, I season the whole lot with salt and pepper and set it aside.

Then, after adding a little more oil to the pan, I gently saute one roughly chopped onion, a stalk of chopped celery, a diced carrot and 2 cloves of chopped garlic until soft (about 5 mintues).

Next, I sprinkle over about one tablespoon of plain flour and cook, stirring, for about one minute.

Now, I add the liquid: one cup of beef stock, half a cup of red wine and one can of chopped tomatoes. I also add a couple of dried bay leaves and some dried parsley. At this stage, I return the beef to the stew and bring the whole thing to a gentle simmer, then turn the heat to it's lowest setting and let it gently simmer (very gently!) for about 2 hours, with the lid on.

During that 2 hours, I might occasionally go in and give it a quick stir. Also, I taste to check if it needs any extra seasoning.

After 2 hours, it should be quite tender. Usually, I find it's a little runny, so I take one tablespoon of Gravox (gravy mix) and make it into a paste with a little cold water, then add it to the stew and stir. This thickens the whole thing and adds some extra beefy flavour.

Now, it's ready to serve! I like to serve it with mashed potatoes, peas and crusty bread with butter. Eat the leftovers the next day for lunch (I like to eat it with brown rice). Delicious, even if I say so myself!