Iconic British chef Jamie Oliver shared his wife Jools’ “hearty, warming and simple” beef stew recipe.
Jamie Oliver said the perfectly simple beef stew is “super nutritious” and a “warming recipe perfect for all the family”.
Serving up to six people, if there are too few people at home, then there will be delicious leftovers for another day.
While you may need to have the oven for a fairly long time (around two hours), it’s a great dish to just put in the oven while you attend to other things, whether it be leisurely or not.
Here’s how to make Jamie Oliver’s “simple beef stew” recipe for any night of the week.
Jamie Oliver’s simple beef stew recipe
Ingredients
Four sprigs of fresh thyme
Two sprigs of fresh rosemary
Two medium leeks
One stick of celery
Two carrots
One tablespoon of olive oil
500g diced stewing beef
One heaped tablespoon of plain flour
Two tablespoons tomato purée
Two tablespoons of grated horseradish
One litre of beef or vegetable stock
One fresh bay leaf
75g red lentils
Method
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Pick and finely chop the thyme and rosemary leaves. Trim, wash and roughly chop the leeks, celery, and carrots.
Place a large stew pot on medium-high heat with the oil and the herbs. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the chopped vegetables and cook for a further eight to 10 minutes, or until softened a little, stirring regularly.
Add the meat and continue to fry until browned all over and the juices have bubbled away. Stir the flour into the pan, then add the tomato purée, horseradish, stock and bay leaf.
Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low. Crumple up and wet a piece of greaseproof paper, then open it out and place on top of the stew.
Cover with a lid and pop in the oven for two hours. When the timer goes off (and it’s been two hours), remove the greaseproof paper and skim away any fat from the surface, then top up with 200ml of water.
Sprinkle in the lentils, then replace the greaseproof, cover and pop back in the oven for a further 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through.
When the time’s up, remove the bay leaf and give the stew a good stir to make sure that nothing has stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Jamie Oliver said: “If the stew is a bit thick, add a little boiling water to thin it down.
“If it’s a bit thin, sit the pot on the hob and simmer gently until the liquid reduces to your desired consistency.”
Taste the stew and season with black pepper, if necessary. Jamie Oliver said the beef stew is “delicious served with mashed or baked potato and some lemony dressed greens”.
Greens could include kale, for example, which will make this tasty meal even more healthy.
