Beef Stew

This beef stew was cook in a Thermal pot - I use Endo brand. I prepare this dish the night before the Tea Party on Sunday afternoon. Hmm... 17 hours in the pot, smells great. Dun worry it is still edible. Haha. Just need one more boiling point on the stove before serving . Best eaten with mashed potatoes.

I would suggest that you use fresh beef instead of frozen beef. Tasty more tender. I got this fresh beef from Cold Storage at Holland.

Ingredients

1 kg of beef, cut into medium chunks. ( You can use beef cubes, for me I use beef flanks )
3 tbsp of olive oil ( for browning the beef )
3 onions, chopped into big chunks
3 carrots, chopped into big chunks
3 stalks of celery, chopped into big chunks
1 head of garlic, peeled ( I am talking about 1 full head, NOT 1 clove ya )
3 cups of red wine
1/4 cup of tomatoe paste
1 can of beef stock ( I use 1 pc of knorr beef bouillon cube mix with about 3 cups of hot water )
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt & Pepper


Method

• Season beef with salt & pepper.
• Heat oil in a large pot. Add beef and brown it evenly and thoroughly.
• Remove beef and reserve on a plate.
• In the same pot, add onions to fry, follow by carrots and celery.
• Saute and make sure to scrape up every brown bits in the bottom of the pot until vegetables are caramelized.
• Add garlic, wine and tomotoe paste, stir well.
• Add beef stock, beef, bay leaves and fresh thyme, bring to a simmer, covered ( low heat for 2 -3 hours, if you are not using thermal pot )
• If you are using a thermal pot, boil the stew on the stove for 10 - 15 mins, remove from stove and put into the thermal unit. Hot delicious stew will be ready in 10 hours time ( the longer the stew cooks, the more flavour you will get, its yummy trust me lah )

Note: Should you find the stew not at the right consistency, that is not thick enough, you can thicken the gravy with corn starch mix with a few tbsp of water. Slowly stir into the stew, keep stirring the stew to reach your desired consistency.