Slow-cooked beef stew served with mashed potatoes and buttered sourdough toast.

🥘 Slow-cooked beef stew with mashed potatoes and buttered sourdough toast.

🍲 For the beef stew:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1.2 kg (2.5 lbs) of beef chuck or stewing beef, cut into chunks
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 carrots, chopped
•  2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 1 cup of red wine (or extra beef stock).
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish).

Instructions:

1. Sear the beef. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over a medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Sauté the vegetables: Add the onion, carrots and celery to the same pot. Cook until softened, which should take about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Deglaze: Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
4. Simmer: Return the beef to the pot. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer.
5. Slow cook: Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2.5–3 hours until the beef is tender. Stir occasionally and add a little more water or stock if needed.
6. Finish: Discard the bay leaves, then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley.

🥔 For the creamy mashed potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of peeled and chopped potatoes
• 1/2 cup of warm milk
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
2. Drain, then mash with butter, milk and cream.
3. Season with salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.

For the buttered sourdough toast:

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of sourdough bread
• 2 tbsp softened salted butter
• Optional extras: garlic powder or chopped parsley.

Instructions:

1. Spread the butter generously on both sides of the sourdough.
2. Toast in a frying pan over a medium heat until golden and crispy (about 2–3 minutes per side).
3. For extra flavour, sprinkle with garlic powder or chopped parsley while hot.

🍽 Assembly:

1. Spoon the mashed potatoes onto one side of the plate.
2. Ladle a generous amount of beef stew onto the other half.
3. Tuck in two slices of golden, buttered sourdough.

Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and fresh parsley.

Thank YOU AND Enjoy