Beef stew recipe

[Tinks15]

I really want a decent beef stew recipe been on the hunt for ages, tried a few different ones that I found online but none that we really enjoyed & have again.

Anyone got a decent one? Needs to be child friendly have 3 year old & 8 month old. I’ve heard people putting oxtail soup or other kinds of soup in stews? Anyone do this?

I make my mum's recipe. Just beef, onions, carrots and Oxo! Cook it for 5 hours and then add someyhing to thicken it. My kids love it

Yes, as @Susiesue61 says, keep it simple.

Sauté onions, add floured beef and lightly brown, add stock and vegetables, turn down and simmer for hours.

For beef, i always add wine, beer or tinned tomatoes just before the stock. So tomatoes for child friendly version.

Other than that, the secret is in the herbs, flavourings and in the thickening.

Use cornflour to flour the beef (thickening). Bay leaves (remember to fish them back out), thyme and Worcester sauce.

Shoulder steak chopped into cubes (make sure it's shoulder otherwise it's tough). Dip each bit in seasoned flour. Put into a casserole just big enough for all of it. Slice a couple of onions on top. Shake any flour left on top.

Wee bit more salt and pepper, bay leaf if you fancy it. Pour in enough water to just cover the meat once you've pressed it down. Swish the water about a bit to dissolve the flour so it's not lumpy.

Chuck it in the oven at 120 for 20mins then down to 100 for 4/ 5+ hrs.

My two love this one. (It may or may not be to do with the tbsp of sugar in it. 🙈)

www.supergoldenbakes.com/onepot-vietnamese-beef-stew/

It's really easy. I tend to put in whatever root veg I have leftover on the fridge and it seems to work.

This is gorgeous.
www.manilaspoon.com/2013/11/beef-kaldereta-kaldereta-sa-gata.html

If you buy fresh oxtail you get all the lovelyness without the salt and the bones are easy to fish out.
A tin of corned beef dissolved in stew makes it extra meaty, good for adding extra veg i.e. Celery, leeks, turnip, green beans. All can be chopped tiny.
Diced bacon fried with the meat makes stew tasty too.

I like adding some porter/stout along with beef stock. Gives it a lovely richness.

Boil the diced beef until you get all the brow fat on the top of the water, put in to the slow cooker with the veg, 1 veg oxo cube and then 2 beef. I then use around half of the beef gravy granules and then add hot water so it's level with the ingredients. Leave it in the slow cooker for 8 hours or so (or until the following morning) and then add a tin of vegetable soup. Never fails!

This was lovely

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1940689/beef-and-vegetable-casserole-

Beef, tin of chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, oxo cube or two, glug of red wine, couple of teaspoons of lazy garlic....in the slow cooker all day and add chopped carrots half way through and thicken at the end. Delicious!

I have the best success with beef brisket.

Second AshGirl that recipe from the BBC website is amazing. No need to brown meat first. Chuck everything into the oven. Done.

I use less celery and add button mushrooms, or anything I fancy... parsnips etc Totally adaptable and the most minimum effort ever.

Very delicious. Add red wine if any lurking around (or not, really adapt to suit you and family)

Don't use cornflour

Don't use cornflour

Whyever not? I have to anyway these days, because Coeliac, but it's great (and traditional) as a thickener.

I'm also interested to know why you shouldn't use cornflour. I agree with Wendy about not needing to brown the meat. I always find it more tender when I just put it in raw.

A good table spoon full of caramelised onion chutney stirred in towards the end adds a nice depth of flavour. I’ve found that really helps slow cooker stew not be bland.

A good table spoon full of caramelised onion chutney stirred in towards the end adds a nice depth of flavour.

Oh that sounds nice. I'll try that next time.

Thanks everyone, these recipes look good. All very simple too which i like .

This is goulash not stew but close enough? It's from a weaning book so baby friendly and delicious!

*hope this doesn't go against guidelines for copyright! I got it off a friend and I don't know what book it's from....

Jamie's beef stew is lovely, I think it's titled as 'Jules favourite beef stew'