Beef with Red Wine

I fiddled about a bit with one of Nigella Lawson’s recipes for beef stew.


I usually use stock when making casseroles. This stew didn’t use any stock, and I was really impressed by the subtlety of the flavours as a result. I am so used to the strong salty kick that you get from stock that can really overpower other flavours.  This combination made a very nice change.

This stew has a subtle, rich sweetness. I served mine with a lovely mound of mashed starchy Jarrah pumpkin, and steamed mixed greens. As with all of my savoury recipes, quantities are approximate.

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
600g chuck steak, cubed
½ cup plain flour
A teaspoon of allspice
Salt and pepper
½ cup water
½ cup red wine
2 bay leaves
A teaspoon of dried sage
1 cup of chopped mushrooms

1. Gently sauté the onions and carrots in a small amount of oil a large heavy-based pan till onions are softened. Remove from pan.

2. Mix together plain flour, allspice and salt and pepper. Coat cubed beef well in flour mix.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan, and brown steak over a medium heat. Remove meat from pan.

4. Add water, red wine, bay leaves and sage to pan, stir over medium heat. Return onions, carrots and beef to pan, bring to a simmer.

5. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low, leave to cook for approximately 2 and a half hours. Stir in the mushrooms towards the end of the cooking time.