Beef stew in red wine sauce recipe

Beef skirt and shin are great value cuts, and become particularly delicious when slow-cooked in this one-pot dish - ideal for no-fuss family dinners

Ingredients

• 25g butter
• 2 large onions, sliced into rings
• 6 garlic cloves, halved
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 600g piece beef skirt or slices of shin, cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 400ml red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 300ml strong beef stock
• 250g mushrooms, halved (we used small Portobello mushrooms)
• chopped parsley, to serve (optional)

Directions

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. In a large, heavy-based flameproof casserole dish with a lid, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook for 10 mins until starting to brown, then transfer to a small plate.

• STEP 2

  Put the flour in a large plastic food bag with plenty of black pepper. Add half the beef, shake to coat, then remove, leaving some flour in the bag. Add the rest of the beef and shake to coat in the remaining flour.

• STEP 3

  Heat the oil in the same casserole dish you cooked the onions in (there’s no need to clean it first). Add the beef and bay leaves, and fry until the meat is browned all over. Pour in the wine and return the onions to the dish. Add the tomato purée and stock, stir and return to a simmer. Cover with the lid and put in the oven to stew for 1 hr.

• STEP 4

  After 1 hr, add the mushrooms and return to the oven for another hour. Taste the meat – if it’s tender, remove from the oven. If it’s still a little firm, cook for 30 mins more and test again. Serve scattered with parsley, if you like.