Since adding one simple ingredient to beef stew that a butcher recommended, it never tastes as great without it.
A classic beef stew recipe remains a fundamental skill that every home cook should master. When cooked as a stew, the beef transforms into something exceptionally tender and succulent, practically dissolving on your tongue.
Having consistently relied on Sarah Rossi’s beef stew recipe from her Tamming Twins food blog, I’ve lately discovered that one additional ingredient suggested by a butcher enhances the flavour of the meat, vegetables and gravy tremendously.
The experts at Campbells Meat, a family-operated Scottish online butcher featuring a squad of specialist butchers and chefs, insisted that beef stew needs a dash of something acidic to be “transformative”.
They suggested incorporating a touch of red wine or balsamic vinegar to assist in breaking down the meat’s fibres, making it considerably more tender whilst providing a subtle brightness to balance the richness. I chose some red wine, and the additional flavour it brought to the stew was remarkable.
To make the beef stew as straightforward as possible, I utilised Swan’s 3.5L Nordic Slow Cooker. Priced at £34.99, you really can’t surpass the Swan Slow Cooker regarding design; offered in three colours within this elegant range and features seven colours available in its vintage aesthetic. I was chuffed to discover it wasn’t all style over substance.
During testing, it was a doddle to use. Simply plug it in and adjust the dial to your preferred setting, and the results were scrumptious – it whipped up a mouth-watering beef stew that was melt-in-the-mouth good.
The drawbacks? Despite its striking appearance, this is a fairly basic model – it lacks a timer, and the ceramic pot isn’t hob safe, so you’ll need to brown meat in a separate pan first.
That being said, this slow cooker still offers cracking value for money. At less than £35, it’s easy on the wallet, and it has all the features you’d expect from a slow cooker at this price point, with a super stylish look that’s sure to complement any home.
If you’re after a slow cooker at a similar price but with a timer, you might consider Lakeland’s 3.5L Digital Slow Cooker, currently reduced to £49.99 from £59.99.
Alternatively, if you’re not bothered about a timer, Dunelm’s Chalkboard Slow Cooker is a steal at just £17.60, down from £22.
Ingredients
• 750g of braising beef, cut into large chunks and fat removed
• Two tablespoons of plain flour
• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• 100ml red wine
• One onion, chopped
• Two carrots, diced
• Two sticks of celery, diced
• One tablespoon of tomato puree
• Three sprigs of rosemary
• 400ml of beef stock
Method
I began by preparing my vegetables and then dusting the diced beef in flour. After this, I heated a spoonful of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and browned the beef chunks in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, which gave the meat a rich, deep colour.
The browned beef was then transferred to the slow cooker as I continued with the remaining meat and oil.
Once all the meat was browned, I deglazed the frying pan with red wine, allowing it to pick up the flavours and crusty bits from the bottom of the pan.
This wine was then poured into the slow cooker along with the chopped onion, carrots, celery, tomato puree, rosemary and beef stock, and stirred together.
Finally, I covered the slow cooker, set it to low and left it to cook for eight hours. If you’re in a hurry, you can set the slow cooker to high and have the stew ready in four hours.
For those without a slow cooker, the stew can be cooked in an oven at 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Simply cover the casserole dish with a lid and bake the stew for between two and a half to three hours, until the beef is tender.