A comfort, food classic, best made a with skirt steak, shin or gravy beef for a rich and tender stew. Try with dumplings or as individual, pastry-topped pies.
1 kg diced stewing beef*
1/2 cup plain flour
olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 stick celery, finely sliced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grain mustard
1 x 355 ml bottle pale ale
1 cup beef stock*
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
*we used Moreish organic beef stock and a mix of Moreish skirt steak and gravy beef for great texture and flavour
Preheat the oven to 150˚C.
Heat a little olive oil in an ovenproof casserole. Season the flour and toss through the beef, shaking off the excess. Brown the beef in batches until lightly golden, transferring to a plate as you go. Add a little more oil to the pan between batches taking care not to let the pan’s base catch and burn. Add the vegetables with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, adding a splash of the ale to the pan if it’s too dry. Stir in the tomato paste, mustard and sauces and cook for 1 minute. Add the ale and stock along with the beef and any meat juices. Season and bring to the boil. Place a piece of baking paper over the meat and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Braise for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes until tender. Serve as is, or with the following topping suggestions.
Serves 4-6
