Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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Ingredients
3 tbsp plain flour
1.2kg diced beef shin
3 tbsp vegetable oil
500ml beef stock
2 medium red onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
175ml red wine
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes, roughly snipped in the tin
150g dried apricots, halved
1 tbsp light brown sugar
450g sweet potato, peeled and diced
3 peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
175g babycorn
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Prepare to the end of step 2, cool, cover and chill (or freeze). To finish, slowly return to a simmer and follow from step 3.
Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan 130°C, gas 2. Season the flour and coat the beef with it. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and brown half the beef on a high heat. Transfer to a casserole, deglaze the pan with a little of the stock and pour this into the casserole too. Repeat, and stir the left over seasoned flour into the beef in the casserole.
On a medium heat, cook the onions in the frying pan in another tablespoon of oil for 6-8 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, oregano and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Pour in the red wine and stir to deglaze, then tip into the casserole. Add the tomatoes, apricots, sugar and the rest of the beef stock to the casserole. Bring to a simmer, add some seasoning then cover and transfer to the oven for 1½ hours.
Take the casserole out of the oven and add the sweet potatoes, peppers and babycorn, making sure the sweet potato is submerged as much as possible. Bring back to a simmer on the hob and cook for 5 minutes, lid on, then return to the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender. Serve with polenta dippers, or with crusty bread to dunk.
Serve with
Halloween polenta dippers
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winWin tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera, and a night at a four-star London hotel
Most recipes for beef stew start with cutting meat into cubes, then browning the cubes in a big pot. The idea is that browning builds flavor through the Maillard reaction, which will then get spread around through the whole pot as the meat and vegetables slowly braise in liquid.
Most recipes for beef stew start with cutting meat into cubes, then browning the cubes in a big pot. The idea is that browning builds flavor through the Maillard reaction, which will then get spread around through the whole pot as the meat and vegetables slowly braise in liquid.
Add the wine and tomato paste to the onions and other aromatics in a pan before slow cooking. Plus, this helps to really deglaze any fond that's left. This ingredient is one that your mum and nan would probably use in their stews. It adds a bit of tang, sweetness and savoury spices that give an extra punch of flavour.
A little dark brown roux adds great flavor to a stew. This is the flavor of a gumbo and brown sauces or gravies. A roux is usually made with equal parts flour and oil and is browned with constant stirring until the color of mahogany.
If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
Your onions will be fine, but mushy potatoes and carrots are a no-no. Instead, add them about 20 minutes before the end of cooking. When they're tender, the stew is done.
Be sure to coat the beef in flour before browning it.
It helps to provide a flavorful crust as well as thickening the stew so there's no need to thicken the stew later on. If you are gluten-free, you can use a 1:1 GF flour.
Tomato paste adds crucial flavor and body to the stew meat when cooked with herbs, garlic and wine. If you don't have any on hand, try one of these tomato paste substitutes.
Although I added carrots, little red potatoes, rutabaga and cremini mushrooms, you have plenty of options. Parsnip, turnip, pearl onions, squash and fennel will also work. Stir them in gently and immediately return the pot to the oven for the final hour of cooking.
Once the meat is tender - but not falling apart, add the potatoes, celery, carrots and butternut squash. Pour over another 2 cups of beef broth and enough water to cover the vegetables. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes - until the vegetables are tender.
Mirepoix is an aromatic blend of ingredients made to bring flavors to foods like stews, soups, stocks, and broth. This trinity food is made by slowly cooking carrot, onion, and celery to “sweat” out the flavor and create a delicious base for other recipes to be built upon.
Even the best home cook has stared down into a simmering pot of stew and realized it looked more like soup! Sure, a bowl of soup can be comforting, but a true stew in all its glory should be rich and thick in consistency.
Use regular or hot paprika if you want a little warmth and Smoked Paprika if you're after more of a barbeque style smoky flavour. Chilli and paprika work well with tomato based dishes where as herbs work best with gravy based stews.
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Prep time: 40 mins
