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3rd January 2016
Autumn | Beef | Comfort | Family | Mains | One pot | Recipes | Slow cooker

Tender beef and ale stew

Delicious comfort food!

When I was 21 I got a surprise package on my doorstep, and it was a slow cooker. There was no ‘from’ message, but I soon figured out that it was my lovely Grandma who had sent it to me. The very first thing that I cooked in it was beef and ale stew, and I would definitely say that over the years it is the thing that I have cooked in it the most frequently. It’s just simple, tasty comfort food, and the slow cooker will turn the toughest of beef into melt-in-your mouth tenderness.

My much-loved Grandma died 5 years ago on January the 11th and I still miss her so much, but serving this up in her old Le Creuset pan gives me a nice warm feeling inside. She would have served this with roast potatoes and baked beans, an unusual but incredibly tasty combination!

I’ve counted the ale as 10 syns for 500ml, but it does depend which one you have.

 

 

My Recipe

Serves: 6
Syns: 2 syns per portion
Healthy Extra: none

Ingredients

  • 700g lean casserole steak/stewing steak
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped into small chunks
  • 500ml ale
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 500g passata (crushed tomatoes)
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • salt and pepper
  • Frylight

Method

  1. Fry the onions in frylight until softened and add the celery, stir fry for a couple more minutes.
  2. Add the beef (having removed any visible fat) and fry gently until browned on the outside
  3. Add in the flour, and stir through to coat the beef.
  4. Pour in the ale and bring to a simmer.
  5. Add the passata, tomato puree, crumbled beef stock cube and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and add the bay leaves.
  6. Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 10-12 hours

Additional Info

It's a silly thing, but I really like my beef casserole to look dark and rich so sometimes add a spoonful of dark soy sauce at the end to make it look darker! You can make this an all in one meal by adding chopped potato/and or sweet potato a couple of hours before the end of cooking.

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1 Reply to "Tender beef and ale stew"

  • Karen 7th January 2016 (10:05 am)

    This looks amazing – how long do you cook it for in the slow cooker and at what level temperature? Thanks.