Beef Stew

[maggiebee]

Back in the day my mum made the most delicious beef stew in an ordinary pot. She didn't have a slow cooker or any fancy gadgets (or ingredients) but we all loved it. Does anyone have a simple recipe that doesn't have 20 ingredients? I have carrots, potatoes etc.

[Buenchico]

The BBC Good Food website (which is popular with ABers) has 33 recipes but I suggest checking out the first one especially, as it's got fantastic reviews and comes extremely close to meeting your requirements:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/beef-stew-recipes

[barry1010]

Shin of beef is key, bit of oxtail is a tasty additional. I use plenty of onions, carrots, swede, a parsnip, pearl barley, stock and red wine or beer if you fancy it. A couple of bay leaves.

[sandyRoe]

I haven't got a recipe but I remember a stew like that with dumplings.

[MargoTester]

Not a recipe exactly but myMum always used shin of beef for stew. In a heavy bottom pan add a drop of oil with carrots onions celery and bay leaf and sweat for a while. Toss the cubed beef in a tablespoon of flour and then add stock and cook for a couple of hours. She always said it was best eaten the following day if possible after thickening a bit more if needed

[MargoTester]

^ and cooking for another hour or so until tender and adding dumplings if required

[maggiebee]

Thanks folks - going to use suggestions as my basic stew then add what I have to hand. Think Margo's is the nearest to my mum's from what I can remember. Mum died 56 years ago and I so wish I'd written things down.

[barry1010]

I think a few potatoes are essential, they help to thicken the stew and really do take on the flavour

[Arksided]

I love beef stew one of the few things I can cook from scratch. As above mainly but do like to add a bit of garlic and ground black pepper. No dumplings but accompanied by crusty bread with lashings of not so healthy butter on.

[barry1010]

Yes, pepper is another essential for me

[barry1010]

If I have any leftover I freeze it and use it as a filling for a beef pie.

[pimplyteen]

Brisket of beef will make it a lot cheaper than buying shin.

[barry1010]

Brisket and shin is the same price per kilo at my local butchers and I've just checked Morrison's online and both are £8 a kilo

[pimplyteen]

Depends on how you catch the market, prices are up and down but always have been with fresh meat products. Normally brisket is a lot cheaper, i tend to stock up with brisket in the summer months. This summer i paid £4.98 kilo

[Canary42]

[barry1010]

I love cows :) I used to spend my school holidays bottle feeding calves when I were a kid