Stewed steak/beef stew

If you are using root vegetables leave out the wine and add a dollop of French mustard.

Do you mean the brown Colman's "French mustard" or mustard from France?

cc

I make a ragout which is small cubes of beef, diced carrots, fried onions, orange peel/juice, thyme, seasoning and a star anise. Half cover with some liquid and slow cook. This is lovely the next day. It might disintegrate a bit after being reheated a few times, at which stage you can layer it with potatoes and cook in the oven to brown.
When my kids were at home I used to make a huge one and they were happy to eat it for a few days.

Oh cc, how many times did you reheat it? Surely, leftovers should be reheated only once??

When i was able to stand and cook I used to make Boeuf Bourgignon. Now I can now longer to fry off meat and onions I now use the slow cooker.
Shin of beef, frozen stew pack (minus some of the carrots.They are cheaper and heavier so keep the price of the pack down) beef stock cube, garlic granules, mixed herbs, tomatoes purée, sometimes some red lentils. Herb dumplings twenty minutes before serving.
Thinking to save standing I ordered a dumpling pack from Sainsburys. Read the back of the pack. Full of all sorts of additive. Take longer to make. No suet! Gave it to my help.

i think you cant beat shin beef for lovely stew. i used to cook it in the pressure cooker and it was safe if we were sailing and is locked together. So I always fry onions first as think they taste different to just cut up and not fried, Then cut the shin into pieces and quickly seal. I love the taste of celery in a casserole so often add that , carrots , any root veg and mushrooms, add some gravy to which I add some marmite (only like that in gravy) and then pressure cook. No doubt these days use a slow cooker or whatever. I now live alone so have enough to freeze some for the future occasion, but if you are doing it in an oven add jacket potatoes . Often cook this in a morning when able to get about a bit better and think that the stew is actually better for leaving overnight and reheating. Oh could just eat it now!!

I make a ragout which is small cubes of beef, diced carrots, fried onions, orange peel/juice, thyme, seasoning and a star anise. Half cover with some liquid and slow cook. This is lovely the next day. It might disintegrate a bit after being reheated a few times, at which stage you can layer it with potatoes and cook in the oven to brown.
When my kids were at home I used to make a huge one and they were happy to eat it for a few days.

And don’t forget the dumplings………

Sago

Never just chuck wine in a casserole!
You should use the wine to de glaze the pan you have used to fry the meat and onions.
The wine must reach a high temperature to burn off the alcohol.
Wine will work well with mushrooms and onions with a bouquet garni of thyme and bay.
If you are using root vegetables leave out the wine and add a dollop of French mustard.

Thank you for your tip using French Mustard. I made a beefcasserole yesterday. I put in a dessert spoonful of French Mustard. Result.... A delicious, rich gravy. I shall always do this in future and will pass on the tip.

I had planned a beef stew for tomorrow, but haven’t got any beef in the freezer, which is a pain.

So liver and bacon planned instead.

That is the problem when you set your heart on something, somehow it always, when you get t you feel it wasn't worth the effort.

I have been caught by that many times.

Thanks for all the input everyone!

M0nica

Did your meal live up to expectations, GagaJo?

Ironically, by the time it is as ready, I didn't fancy it. I'm going to freeze it for later. Will make it again tho. Seemed to turn out ok.

A bit late to the party here but I would propose the theory that if you CBA to peel and chop fresh veg, don't use frozen ones because they have already been parboiled and won't give off so much flavour. Tinned veg should be OK, if you use the liquid in the tin. Just a theory, I haven't really experimented myself - I always have some shrivelled carrots, leeks, celery, mushrooms or courgettes in the bottom of the fridge to use up.

Did your meal live up to expectations, GagaJo?

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Aldi had some extra lean chopped steak on sale so I got it and it is currently in the slow cooker on high, with onions.

I use shin too.
My lazy recipe is ready diced beef which I brown in metal casserole dish. I add a packet of casserole veg and a diluted beef stew flavour sachet. Lid on. Bung in oven long and low. Serve!

Time-saving tip: If you go for fresh beef, have a dog handy while preparing it for the pan.
Back when we had a dog, any bits of gristle or fat that I cut off used to be dropped out of my hand and they never reached the floor.

It is 25 years since we lost our lovely waste-disposal dog, but I still occasionally drop those unwanted bits without thinking and feel very silly when, instead of hearing our dog's teeth snapping them out of the air (100% success rate), they plop onto the floor.

Inspired by this thread and had shin of beef in my Ocado order today, I've just assembled a beef estofado (kitty doesn't like the word stew!) in the slow cooker.

Shin of beef - I think it's best as has some fat, not too lean
Red onion
Tin of cannellini beans
1 red bell pepper & 1 yellow bell pepper

Flavourings:
Dollop Dijon mustard
Splash Lea & Perrins
Salt, pepper & bouquet garni
Tomato puree
500mls vegetable stock (cube)

Sago

Never just chuck wine in a casserole!
You should use the wine to de glaze the pan you have used to fry the meat and onions.
The wine must reach a high temperature to burn off the alcohol.
Wine will work well with mushrooms and onions with a bouquet garni of thyme and bay.
If you are using root vegetables leave out the wine and add a dollop of French mustard.

Oh, you old purist, you

Alcohol burns off at 78c, apparently (I've been googling) and the longer the cooking time the more is burnt off. So long slow cooking at simmering point will take care of the alcohol whether it's used for deglazing or just sloshed in.

I always fry my onions and meat first (catering trained, and that's how my mum did it...) but not everyone does; I'm sure they're perfectly happy with the results.

Anyway, there's lots here for the OP to choose from.

Bon appetit, GagaJo

Floyd used to chuck some down his throat first! 😉
"Time for a quick slurp."

I too just chuck it in, stewing steak, onions, swede, parsnip, sprig of thyme and either red wine or Guinness with a generous splash of Lea and Perrins, plenty of black pepper. Slow cooker on auto for 5/6 hours, thicken with cornflour if required.

growstuff

nanna8

Chuck a bit of red wine in, too - perfect.

or beer

Guinness is good! ---Oh d***I know have that song in my head
"Guinness is good for you etc"

As far as not just chucking wine in. Isn't that what people like Floyd used to do?

If you want super-easy, use tinned stewed steak in gravy (don't go for the cheapest though). Just tip it into the pan when the veg are nearly ready, as all it needs is to be heated up!

growstuff

And we eat it out of pasta bowls!

... snap!

And we eat it out of pasta bowls!

starshine

I did mine in the slow cooker yesterday - stewing steak, onions, swede, carrots, salt and pepper and a can of beer - no extra stock - and it was my best ever effort!

That's how I do mine. I add celery if I have any, but it's optional. I batch cook and freeze it.