Beef stew is easy to prepare. All you need to do is allow it to cook slowly to deepen the flavours, and you’ll have a tasty dish without much effort.
Jamie Oliver’s recipe is for beef stew, a classic winter dish that is “hearty, warming and simple to put together.”
On his website, Jamie described this meal as “a super nutritious, warming recipe perfect for all the family.”
This is the perfect dinner during the cold weather as it is loaded with protein from the beef and fibre from the vegetables, so you are guaranteed to feel full and satisfied after eating.
Everything in this recipe is also cooked in one pot, so it will not take long to clean up. Thus, you can have a delicious home-cooked dinner that is easy to put together.
Recipe:
To begin, preheat the oven to 170C or Gas Mark 3.
Next, prepare your vegetables. Trim, wash and cut the carrots, leeks and celery. If using fresh herbs, pick the thyme and rosemary leaves and chop them up as well.
Place one tablespoon of oil into a large stew pot on a medium-high heat. Add the herbs and let them cook for a few minutes.
Add the chopped vegetables and cook for eight to 10 minutes until they just begin to soften and become tender.
Then, add the diced beef and continue to cook until the meat browns and the juices bubble away. Mix in the stock, flour, tomato puree, horseradish and bay leaf.
Bring the stew to a boil and then turn the heat down to low so it is simmering. Next, crumble up and dampen a piece of baking paper, open it out, and place it on top of the beef stew.
Cover the stew with a lid and then place it in the oven. Let it cook for two hours.
Once the cooking time is up, remove the baking paper and skim any fat from the surface.
Pour 200ml of water and then add the lentils. Replace the baking paper and place in the oven for 30 more minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked.
When the time is up, take it out of the oven. Remove the bay leaf and stir the stew to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
If the stew seems too thick, add some boiling water. If it seems too thin, place it on the stove to simmer for a few minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, then your mouthwatering stew is ready to eat.
