help me thicken the juice please

[unpackyoursuitcase]

Have made a beef casserole for tea. I fried the beef until brown and added onions and sliced potatoes. Then added hot water, pepper, salt and a chilli paste. An hour after simmering on the hob I added a tin of tomatoes. Have just added frozen peas and sweet corn to it and the juice is really runny.. any ideas please?

Remove some of the liquid into a cup and add flour to it then read to stew.

thanks.. off to try. Am a bit heavy handed,. I made home made gravy the other day and used flour to thicken it. I thought I was dead clever and enjoyed it, my DH said he didn't like it. I was too floury!!

Mix up a teaspoon of flour and teaspoon of soft butter until its smooth. Dollop bits across the top of the casserole, stir until melts, and then cook/ bubble gently for a minute.

If you have a lot of juice, add more butter/ flour mixture.

we normally use cornflour for thickening. you mix it with water before adding

Cornflour is a little lighter - a heaped teaspoonful mixed with a little water then stirred to a creamy consistency - add it to the stew and it will thicken it as it heats.

If you have time, you can just let what's there reduce down. It'll thicken up as it does. Or use a small amount of cornflour to thicken it rather than normal flour. You get less of a floury taste that way.

Add gravy granules if you are short on time.

I'd suggest two or three ounces of red lentils. Stir in, simmer for 10-15 mins and they'll soak up all the juices, go fluffy and don't taste floury at all.

Add porridge oats, a handful or 2 will make the sauce really thick and no one will ever know there are porridge oats in it !

MCDougalls thickener is a cheats way of thickening anything and you don't get any floury taste. You just spoon it in and stir.

oats,, really? I've got some.. not sure I'm brave enough to add...

oh and never thought of gravy granules.. cus I put tomatoes in this casserole. I normally just make a beef stew with veg and add gravy granules.

right to be on safe side..
have added..
a small handful of red lentils
a dollop of marg
a sprinkle of gravy granules.. and had a taste and is very hot spicy!! oh and dh does not like it too hot.. so have added some sugar
?

It worked! Thanks all x