not ready for it

Now winter is well and truly on its way, I am starting to crave warm, homely meals. This is a very easy and simple recipe for a beef stew, which meets the bill perfectly  - sometimes simply really is best. Its the sort of thing you can throw together after work with minimum effort, but tastes amazing and definitely satisfies my craving for comfort food. You can substitute the beef for lamb if you prefer!

You will need:

Diced beef

Bacon

1 Onion

Mushrooms

Tsp dijon mustard

Garlic puree

Tomato puree

Red wine or beer

1 beef stock cubes

This makes enough for two people, or three smaller portions! I haven't put quantities of beef, bacon or mushrooms as this is really up to you. I used a 400g pack of diced beef, 2 large mushrooms and about 4 rashers of bacon. You can use as much or as little of these as you like, or as much as you have in your cupboards! 

Start by chopping an onion, your bacon and mushrooms and fry them off with a little oil in a casserole dish on a medium heat. Once the onion has browned and the bacon is cooked, add the beef (or lamb), cook until the meat is browned. 

Then, add a good glug (technical term) of red wine - use as much or as little as you like - and the mustard, garlic puree and tomato puree. Obviously you can use real garlic if you prefer (chop and fry with the bacon, onion and mushrooms) I just use puree as I'm lazy! You can use beer instead of wine if you prefer; my Mum often uses a bottle of ale. 

Stir it all together and cover with water, adding a beef stock cube if necessary - you may not need it. You don't want it to be overly salty! Bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer and put the lid on. You should leave the stew to simmer on a low heat for about an hour, until the stock has reduced. You still want some liquid however, but it should reduce to be thicker and less watery. 

Serve with mashed potato and steamed green veg. Enjoy!

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all images from Pinterest