Warm Nights: Warm Your Heart with a Bowl of Hot Beef Stew
With the autumn breeze, the temperature at night is gradually dropping. There’s nothing better in this season than sitting around a warm table as a family and enjoying a meal that warms your heart from the inside out. Today, I’m sharing a beef stew recipe that has been in my family for generations and will not only warm your body, but each other’s hearts as well.
Ingredients:
- Beef 500g
- 3 potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 fresh tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Beef stock 800ml
- Red wine 100ml
- 2 bay leaves
- Rosemary 1 sprig
- Flour, moderate
Method:
- Cut the beef into cubes and marinate for 10 minutes in salt and black pepper. In the meantime, cut the potatoes, carrots, onions and celery into large chunks, cut the tomatoes into quarters and slice the garlic cloves and set aside.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil and stir-fry the beef until lightly browned on top, remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic, then add the potatoes, carrots and celery.
- Sprinkle with flour and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to blend the flavours of the ingredients.
- Pour in the beef stock, add the cooked beef cubes, tomatoes, bay leaves and rosemary, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer until the beef is tender and the potatoes and carrots are cooked through, then adjust the flavour and add salt and black pepper to taste.
Tips:
- Beef is more tender when stewed if you choose a part of the meat that is fluffy with a moderate amount of fat, such as brisket or beef cubes.
- The addition of red wine not only enhances the overall flavour, but also tenderises the beef.
- Remember to check halfway through the stew and add hot water in moderation if the broth reduces.
While you are enjoying this bowl of beef stew, put on some soft music and light a scented candle. Let the food and the cosy atmosphere intertwine together, such a night, even if the wind outside is sharp, it can’t cool the warmth and happiness inside the house.
In these busy times, let us not forget that sometimes the simplest things – like a bowl of steaming beef stew – can bring us the purest joy. So let this stew be a memory we share, one that reminds us that in this ever-changing world, the warmth of home is a theme that never goes out of style.
