Beef Stew

Ingredients
500g stewing beef chucks
corn flour
1 x onion
1 x large potato
1 x large carrot
1 x parsnip
1 x tin of canellini or haricot beans
vegetable oil
2 x pints water (approx)
1 x knorr rich beef stock pot
1 x heaped teaspoon thyme
1 x heaped teaspoon sage
generous grind salt
generous grind black pepper
2x teaspoons of marmite
half a ladle of sherry (optional)
desert spoon of blackcurrant jam (optional)

Utensils
kettle
knife
chopping board
oven proof casserole dish/ pan
ladle
bowl
teaspoon
dessert spoon

Method
1. Put  oven proof pot on medium heat. Add oil to the pan so that it covers the bottom in a thin layer.

2. As the oil is heating up, put a generous handful of flour into a bowl. Grind salt and black pepper over the flour and mix through. Roll the beef chunks in the flour so that they are totally covered.

3. When the oil has heated up, add the beef chunks. Every couple of minutes move the chunks around the pan so that they browned on the outside. You do this to seal in the moisture of the meat when it is cooking. This should take about 8-10 minutes. As they are cooking wash and dry the bowl that had the flour in it.

4. When the chunks are browned, take them out of the pan and put in the bowl.

5. Wash and dry the oven proof pan.

6. Put pan on the heat with a layer of oil covering the bottom. Heat up.

7. When waiting to heat finely chop up the onion.

8. Put the onion and herbs in the pan and heat until soft.

9. As the onion cooks peel and finely chop the carrot, parsnip and potato.

10. Fill and boil the kettle

11. When the onion has cooked add the carrot, parsnip and potato to the pan.

12. Stir well so the vegaetables are covered in herbs

13. Add in the beef chunks.

14. Add boiling water to pan so that meat and vegetables are covered. Add the beans.

15. Add beef stock pot, marmite, sherry, jam and a couple of grinds of salt and pepper

16. Stir and bring to the boil by turning up the heat

17. When it is boiling either turn down the heat to medium and put a lid on. Or put a lid on and put in the middle of the oven at 180 degrees.

18. Cook for 2 hours. Check every 20 minutes that the liquid hasn't reduced too much. Add boiling water and stir through if it has done.

19. The stew is cooked when the meat is super tender and falling apart.

20. Serve with a chuck of bread and if you are Granny Joy, a chunk of cheddar cheese.


Options
- use sliced leek instead of an onion
- use venison chunks instead of beef
- use red wine or port instead of sherry
- add dried porcini bashed into flakes to give it more depth