Beef stew

[dustarr73]

I have made one and its a bit lifeless and flat.I followed the recipe but it looks nothing like the picture.

Any help to get it half decent.Thanks.

I bet it just needs cooking longer - to concentrate the gravy a bit. If it's not watery add a bit more water (or stock if you have it) and simmer it for another hour or more. I also find a spoonful of marmite stirred in helps at this stage!

What recipe did you use?

Depending on the kind of stew, there are a couple of options. If you drink alcohol, red wine, a dark ale or a bit of cooking sherry can work wonders. Additional seasoning such as soy sauce or Worcester sauce will help. If tomato based, add tomato paste and a tiny bit of sugar. I sometimes add a chutney like onion marmalade. If you can cook it for longer like pp suggests, chuck in a bay leaf.

It wasjust a basic one off the internet,i didnt even use the amount of water they suggested,Ah im going to cook it a bit longer and see,

Maybe some cornflour and water at teh end if its still watery.

If it's too think put back in oven and cook another couple of hours - the longer the better, I dont like cornflour makes it pale looking and glooopy. Granuales would thicken it up also and add some flavour or I always use these to make it more tasty:

Double Beef stock melts
Worstershire sauce - works wonders
Tomato puree

I don't like a watery stew, either.
I add some gravy granules near the end of cooking; just a teaspoon or so at a time, and stir through until it's the thickness you want.
(I would be counting how many teaspoons, for Slimming World syns, but you may not bother with that!)

Add gravy granules and Henderson's Relish then cook for longer.

Basic beef stew, or casserole, always makes me think of school dinners.
Adding a little bit of chili flakes, red wine and bacon lardons makes a lot of difference. Make sure you use very lean beef. I remember heaving at school dinners that had fat and gristle.

YY to cooking longer with added alcohol - wine, ale or even a glug of brandy or whiskey. A squeeze of umami paste boosts flavour. And check the seasoning, perhaps needs more salt.

Here's mine
Chop up onion, carrots, pancetta cubes, mushrooms and celery and fry off until soft
Add cubed beef (fatty stuff is the best!) a tin of tomatoes, an oxo cube, tablespoon plain flour and some red wine/beer/Guinness. You don't need to brown the beef
Sometimes I add lea and perrins and black pepper
Stir it, stick it in the oven with a lid on and ignore it for a couple of hours. Take the lid off half an hour before it's done. Just keep an eye that it doesn't catch on the bottom

My rules for beef stew are that is must be cooked for at least 4 hours and it must have alcohol in.

I mix cornflour with red wine to thicken. Seems to give it a much richer flavour without too much of the greying colour.

I've read recommendations to add some tinned oxtail soup.

@Olivander84 im going to try that next week.

It actually turned out lovely,bit more juice than i like but i know next time not to use that much water.

After much trial and error my perfect beef stew is:

Get a big plastic sandwich bag and coat the beef in flour, teaspoon of corn flour, salt, peoper, fresh thyme if you have it.

Fry the beef off so sealed.

Tip a big glass of red wine in with the meat and cook another few minutes.

Soften onion and carrots in a pan (I often add parsnip, celery or swede too)

Add beef and veg to a big pan or slow cooker with a tin of plum tomatoes, 500ml of rich beef stock (knorr stock pots are the best) and a couple of bay leaves.

Simmer on hob for 3-4 hours or 6-8 hours in slow cooker.

Add button mushrooms for the last 1/2 hour if you like them.

always makes me think of school dinners
Just as it should be.
All this fancy pants talk of wine and herbs and chilli flakes.
Messing with dark forces.

Fry the flour in a pan with butter until dark brown and smooth. Add the liquid from stew the brown sauce. Add that back into the sauce pan.
Make the stew rich and thick.