Food Content // Delicious Beef Stew Recipe Suitable for All of the Family*

I quite enjoy cooking and coming up with recipes that my daughter and I can enjoy. She is a good eater on the whole so I do feel lucky in that respect. She is open to trying most things so I don’t have to come up with anything too complicated. One thing that she loves to have is beef stew. It is easy to make and doesn’t take too long to make either. The great thing with beef is that if you slow cook it, it just gets better and better. Tender meat that just falls off the bone? Yes, please!

Ingredients

• 4 rump or t-bone steak
• 800g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 8 tbsp cooking oil of your choice (I use olive oil)
• 2 onions, chopped finely
• 5 cloves of garlic, pushed through a garlic press
• 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes (optional as your children might not like spice)
• 4 aubergines, chopped into bite size chunks
• 2 peppers, de-seeded and randomly chopped into chunks
• 400ml white or red wine
• A few handfuls of pitted olives, to taste (I have used both green and black olives in the past)

I have tried a few beef stew recipes in my time, to come up with one that works well. There are quite a few plain options out there but I like to mix things up a bit. This recipe has a bit of a Mediterranean twist, adding things like olives for a much lovelier taste.

I like to make a big batch of it so that I can keep some in the freezer. It saves time and money so why not? This recipe makes enough for eight servings so there will be plenty left over. Just make sure that you have a large enough casserole dish to put it all in!

1. Put the hob on a medium heat. In a large heat-proof pan, add half of the cooking oil of your choice. Fry the meat for about a minute or so on both sides.
2. When you have done, take the meat from the pan and put on a plate to rest.
3. Put the rest of the cooking oil into the hot pan. Next, you should add the crushed garlic cloves, the aubergines, the peppers and the chopped onions.
4. Stir them all around so they are coated in the oil. Cook them until they have become soft.
5. The next step is to add the red or white wine, the olives, the chopped tinned tomatoes, the tomato purée and a cup of water (about 200ml).
6. Make sure the heat is on medium and let all of this come up to the boil. The reduce the heat to a simmer and leave for just over 10 minutes.
7. While that simmers, slice up the steaks. When they are chopped up, pop them back into the pan with the rest of the mixture. Cook for another 10 minutes.
8. It is ready to be served with rice, potatoes and any other vegetable of your choice.