Juliet’s Beef & Sausage Stew

This meal is just the thing for a cold and rainy day.  It looks like a lot but when it comes down to it, it’s about ten minutes prep time and the rest it spends sat in the oven. It’s a nice alternative to a Sunday roast and is perfect comfort food.

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

• 500g stewing steak
• Shallots or a large onion roughly chopped
• 2 or 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 turnip or a bit of swede, peeled and cubed
• 4 sausages – any type.  I tend to use a traditional pork or cumberland style
• 500ml ale
• 1 beef stock cube
• Mushrooms – white or chestnut closed cup
• Bouquet garni or bay leaf
• Plain flour
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C
2. Heat butter and oil in a heavy bottomed (I love that phrase) casserole dish
3. Brown the steak on all sides and remove to bowl using slotted spoon
4. Place shallots/onions and garlic cloves in the casserole dish and fry briefly.  Add a little more oil if the pan feels too dry
5. Return the beef to the dish and sprinkle over a heaped teaspoon or two of flour.  Stir in and allow to cook in for a minute or so.
6. Add the ale (I used London Pride) and bring to the boil to allow the sauce to thicken a bit
7. Add the carrots, swede, stock cube and  bouquet garni/bay leaf
8. Chop the sausages into thirds or quarters and add to pot.  I don’t bother frying the sausage pieces first as they tend to expel all their filling into the gravy.
9. Season well.  (Remember not to oversalt as you’ve already got the stock cube in there)
10. Put on the lid, or transfer to a dish with a lid and put in the oven for 2-3 hours until the beef is meltingly tender.  Add the mushrooms about an hour into the cooking time.
11. I like to serve it up on jacket potatoes with greens on the side, you may prefer mash…

Tags: beef, home cooking, main meals, stew