Country Beef Stew

Name: Country Beef Stew
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Serves to serve 4
Ingredients: 1 lb stewing steak (beef shank); 1 tablespoon beef dripping *; 1 medium onion; 2 tablespoons plain flour (all purpose flour); 1¼ pint beef stock **; salt and pepper; bouquet garni; 2 medium carrots; 1 small turnip; 1 stick celery; ¼ teaspoon thyme; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Ready in 1 hr 50 mins

Recipe by Graham

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. One of the original English recipes for stew is the "Brown" Stew that has more recently been termed a Country Beef Stew. It is filling and uses inexpensive cuts of meat. Ideal if you have a hungry family to feed

Preparation Time

20 Minutes

Cooking Time

1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients for Country Beef Stew

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

1 lb stewing steak (beef shank)
1 tablespoon beef dripping *
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons plain flour (all purpose flour)
1¼ pint beef stock **
salt and pepper
bouquet garni
2 medium carrots
1 small turnip
1 stick celery
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

How to Cook Country Beef Stew

Cut the stewing steak into chunks about 1" (2.5cm) thick and peel and slice the onion. Heat the beef dripping in a large pan, and use it to fry the meat quickly until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Add the sliced onion to the pan, reduce the heat and fry gently until it becomes transparent or lightly browned. Stir in the flour and cook slowly until it turns a rich brown colour.
Gradually add the beef stock to the onion and bring up to boiling, stirring all the time. Add the bouquet garni and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow this to simmer very gently for 1½ hours. Whilst it is simmering, peel and slice the carrots, peel and dice the turnip and roughly chop the celery.
Remove the pan from the heat and, with a large spoon, skim off any fat on the surface, and then add the carrots, turnip, celery, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Replace the lid and put the pan back on the heat, simmering for another hour (or until the meat and vegetables are tender). Again, skim off any fat. Remove the bouqet garni and, if required, season with a little more salt and pepper to suit your tastes. Serve with Creamed Potatoes or just on its own.

GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you have made a stew, casserole or gravy and want to thicken the liquid, place a teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch or wheat starch) into a cup and add just a little water till the cornflour dissolves. Stir this, little by little, into your cooking and you will find that the sauce will thicken almost immediately.

GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
A Nebbiolo grape like Barolo and Barbaresco. wines from Northern Italy. A young Barbaresco goes perfectly with a cold meat platter, while Barolo wines are at their best with richer dishes such as this one.