Recipe: Beef and winter vegetable stew with red wine sauce

I think we could all do with a good warm bowl of nutrient filled comfort food right about now, right?

This beef stew recipe is perfect for sitting down with at the end of a long day, when you're in dire need of some delicious, filling flavours. 

Filled with delicious winter vegetables and encased in a tasty red wine sauce it's the ideal midweek meal.

Ingredients:

Vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying

1½ kg shin of beef or stewing beef, cut into cubes

3 tbsp flour

2 large onions, sliced

600g carrots, cut into batons

4 garlic cloves, crushed

175ml red wine

850ml beef stock

3 bay leaves

Few thyme sprigs

Jacket potatoes, to serve

Method:

In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil.

Put the beef in a bowl, sprinkle with the flour salt and pepper then mix until well coated.

Fry in batches, adding more oil if necessary, until all of the meat is well browned.

Transfer to a casserole or oven safe baking dish.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and stir in the onion and carrots.

Cover and gently cook for 10 or so minutes until softened, then remove the lid and cook until just beginning to brown.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add in the wine and stir well, letting it boil for 1 minute, then pour the whole mixture over the meat.

Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme then bring to a simmer.

Cover and simmer for 2½ hour until the meat is very tender. If the sauce looks a bit thin, remove the lid and continue to cook until it thickens.

Serve with jacket potatoes if desired.