‘Set and forget’ food is the order of the day when you have zero time, but don’t want to feed yourself or your family from the local pizzeria six nights a week. All you really need is a slow cooker, or an oven proof cast iron pot with a lid, and you’re good to go.
Ingredients
1 kg chuck steak, diced into large chunks
1 cup plain flour, seasoned with a little salt
1 tin of chopped tomatoes in their juice
1 cup beef stock
½ cup red wine (if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it)
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stalk of celery, peeled and chopped
1 brown onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat an oven to 180°C. Dust the diced beef in the seasoned flour and heat the pot to a medium to high heat. Add a little vegetable oil and brown the cubes to seal them. Remove the beef and set aside. Turn down the heat and add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery and cook until the onions turn translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Add back the beef to the pot and pour over the top the tomatoes and their juice, the red wine and the stock. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and bring the liquid to the boil. Once boiling, cover with the lid and place the pot in the oven. Turn down the oven to about 130°C and allow the stew to do its thing for 4-6 hours or until the beef is tender. If there is a lot of liquid at the end of the cooking process, you can remove the beef and veg and reduce the liquid until it thickens a little more before serving. Serve with steamed greens, some rice or polenta.
