I love the *idea* of a beef stew. It's warming, homely and easy to make in batches. But I've always been disappointed. Despite using a slow cooker the beef is often tough and I often found it difficult to thicken the sauce enough. And the taste was always just a tad bland. But one day my girlfriend told me she wanted to try short ribs. So I found [this recipe](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/red-wine-braised-short-ribs) and ordered the ingredients. However the shop was out of the ribs. So I decided to buy some diced beef casserole steak and turn it into a stew instead. And it was delicious! The recipe is close to identical to the original with a few minor tweaks. ## Ingredients (6 large portions) - 1.6 KG [Diced Casserole Steak](https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/duchy-organic-british-beef-diced-casserole-steak/810648-754863-754864) - 4 Medium Onions (300g once cut) - 5 Medium Carrots (400g once cut) - 3 Celery Stalks - 4 Tablespoons Flour (60g) - 1.5 Tablespoons Tomato Paste - 750ml Dry Red Wine (ideally Cabernet Sauvignon) - 10 Sprigs Flat-Lead Parsley - 8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme - 4 Sprigs Fresh Oregano - 2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary - 2 Fresh or Dried Bay Leaves - 3 Bulbs of Garlic - 1000ml Beef Stock - 30-60ml Olive Oil ## Instructions Heat some olive oil in a large Dutch oven on a medium-high heat and add some of the beef until the pan is full, but not crowded. Brown the beef on all sides, roughly 8 minutes per batch. Once each batch is done empty them into a large bowl and drain off all but around 3 tablespoons of the juices. Do this until all the beef is browned. Whilst the beef is cooking cut the onions, carrots and celery. I prefer the carrots not diced, but in coins instead. I like to do a combination of diced and large chunks. Once all the beef is cooked add the onions, carrots and celery to the Dutch oven with some more oil, still over a medium-high heat. They just need to be browned. So stir often and they should be done after about 5 minutes. Add the flour and tomato paste to the Dutch oven with the onions, carrots and celery still in it. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and beef with the remaining juices. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat to medium. Leave at a strong simmer until the wine is reduced by half. Around 25 minutes. Turn on the oven at 175°c. Add all the herbs, garlic and beef stock. Stir and bring to the boil. Put on the Dutch oven lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, stirring once or twice. Serve with your choice of carb and veg. *** Created: [[2024-01-02]]