Braising steak stew

Nice little Sunday ‘can’t be too bothered’ dish. It only takes about 15-20mins to put together then you can have a snooze for a couple of hours on the sofa... or is that just me?

Anyhoooo I love a good stew, they are very forgiving and you can add a little something as you go (courgette as it happens in this picture!) if it’s left over in fridge and needs using.Umm things that match of course though, don’t go throwing half a tin of tuna in please!

This would work just as well with diced stewing beef but I like steaks because it’s a bit different 🤓 enjoy..

Ingredients

• 4 braising steaks

• 1 large red onion finely sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• 100ml red wine

• 1 tablespoon of tomato purée

• 600ml stock using 1 beef stock cube

• 1 teaspoon of whole grain mustard

• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

• 2 large carrots, unpeeled in 6mm rounds

• 2 large fresh tomatoes chopped inc juices

• Olive oil

• Salt

• Pepper

• 3 sprigs of Rosemary

• 3 bay leaves

Pre heat the oven to 160degrees

In a casserole pan with a lid, add a good glug of olive oil and turn up to a medium heat.

Add your onions and garlic. Mix around for a couple of minutes.

Add your steaks and a couple of good pinches of salt and pepper.

Flip the steaks when they start to turn brown then add the wine. Turn up the heat and let the wine evaporate by about half.

Add your stock, herbs, mustard, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and carrots.

Mix everything together, let it heat for a few minutes then put the lid on and stick it in the oven for around 2 hours (Check it after an hour and a half) The beef should be nice and tender by now. If it isn’t, put it back in for a little longer and add a touch more water if it’s starting to dry out.

Pull it out of the oven, take the lid off and put it back on the hob on a medium heat.

Check the seasoning, adjust if needed.

If you are happy with the consistency of the liquid and the tenderness of the steaks then serve straight up with whatever you like.. mash, crusty bread, veg and so on.

If you think it’s too dry add some more stock, if it’s too watery turn up the heat a bit and let it bubble uncovered. You could also add a little corn flour here to thicken it up but I’ve never had to. If you do, then mix 1 tablespoon of cornflour with a small amount of cold water to make a paste and add it to the dish