A rich, herby, gooey gravy makes this simple oven-cooked hearty beef stew the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare, after which it’s kicked into the oven and left to burble for three hours. To save time, you need brown only a third of the floured cubes in hot fat, although you can fry all of them if you have the patience.
Ingredients
Serves 6
- 1,5 kg boneless beef shin
- 60 ml olive or sunflower oil
- 125 ml white flour
- salt and milled black pepper
- 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
- 2 leeks, white parts only, fi nely sliced
- 2 large carrots, scraped and cubed
- a stick of celery, peeled and finely sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 45 ml tomato paste
- 250 ml red wine
- 1 tin Italian tomatoes, chopped
- 30 ml dark soy sauce
- 5 fresh sage leaves, sliced
- 3 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped
- 2 bay leaves
- a small sprig of rosemary
- 750 ml hot water
- 24 baby carrots, scrubbed
For the Gremolata
- a large lemon
- 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled
- a small bunch of parsley
Cooking method
(Finely grate the lemon zest and the garlic, chop the parsley and combine in a small bowl.)
Heat the oven to 160° C. Trim the beef and cut into large cubes. Heat the oil in a large, shallow, oven-proof pan. Put the fl our in a bowl, season, add the beef cubes and toss well so every cube is coated. When the oil is hot, add a third of the beef cubes and fry until crusty and golden brown. Remove from the heat. Turn down the heat and add the onion, leek, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook gently for five minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
Now add the red wine, tomatoes, soy sauce and herbs. Stir well. Return the browned beef and its juices to the pan along with the rest of the beef cubes and fl our, and cook for a minute, stirring well. Add just enough hot water to cover the beef and vegetables to a depth of 5 mm. Check the seasoning and bring to the boil, stirring well. Cover the pot with a lid or a double layer of tin foil and place in the middle of the oven. Cook for an hour, then turn the heat down to 150° C and cook for another hour. Remove the pot from the oven, stir in the baby carrots, cover and return to the oven for a third hour, or until meat is tender.
Immediately before serving, make the gremolata. Serve the stew piping hot, with hunks of crusty white bread or some buttery mashed potato, and pass the gremolata around so your guests can sprinkle it over the stew.
