BEEF, ALE & VEGETABLE STEW, slow cooker, wallet-friendly

Perfect for the classic English lunch...

Beef & Vegetable Stew with American pale ale
 

Here's a mouth-watering healthy Beef & Ale Stew to add to 67's popular signature  dish, Beef & Guinness Stew (posted 2015).

This recipe is adapted from one of 67's favourite cookbooks by 1950's chef superstar, Robert Carrier (sadly out of print).  It's made with pale ale, American in this instance* but any of the many pale ales available in supermarkets will do.

The stew is slow-cooked; inexpensive casserole/stewing beef will be fine but trim all the fat before cooking to reduce cholesterol.  

67 was lucky enough to find a rump roast** on special; chopped up for the casserole, it produced lean, lower-fat tender cubes of meat.   

Casserole beef will take a couple more hours of cooking than the roast.  

Anything with beef is unlikely to be frugal but this stew is packed with chunks of meat and vegetables, and will go further than you think.   

Cost:  £7
Feeds: 5-7 with sides

Ingreds:
650gm/22oz rump roast or casserole beef, cut in chunks
1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp butter

3 med yellow onions, peeled and finely sliced

2-3 med sticks celery, washed, peeled & cut into thick slices

2-3 med carrots, washed and thickly sliced
1 parsnip, thickly sliced
1/2 small swede, peeled and in chunks the size of carrots & parsnips
large handful of small new potatoes or equiv potatoes in generous chunks

1 1/2 tbsp wine vinegar or white grape juice
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 pint pale ale
stock

100 gm/3.5oz thickly sliced mushrooms (opt)

garnish: chopped chives or parsley

Method:

1. If any unpeeled veg are not organic, soak in a solution of 9 parts water 1 part vinegar 20 mins; drain and rinse
2. Heat a large deep non-stick pan on med-high
3. Put seasoned flour in a plastic bag; drop in cubes of meat; shake bag until cubes are coated
4. When pan is hot enough, drop in 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter; melt
5. Add cubes of meat and brown on at least 2 sides; don't crowd the pan - you may need to do this in batches --you are browning the meat not steaming it
6. Remove meat from pan, set aside 
7. Turn heat down to med; add onions, cook until golden but not brown, scraping at the bottom of the pan to remove any bits of cooked beef; this will take a few minutes - add 1/2 tbsp more of oil and butter if necessary
8. Add the rest of the vegetables; reduce heat to low, partially cover with lid; sweat the veg for 15 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent catching
9. Add the meat and any juices; sprinkle over vinegar and sugar; stir well
10. Add ale and enough stock to just cover; bring to the boil and let it bubble gently 5 mins
11. Pour into slow cooker
12. Note: steps 1-10 can be ignored and the veg layered in the bottom of the slow cooker with the meat on top before adding liquid BUT the flavour will be better if the meat is browned
13. Cook on low 4-5 hours for roast of rump, another hour or two for casserole steak.  The meat should be tender but still hold its shape.
14. Add sliced mushrooms; rest 10-15 mins
15. Garnish with herbs
16. The stew is fine on its own but can be served with perfectly pretty salads plus rice or noodles

Comments:

'I was invited to share this with a friend who refused to be paid to help her, and liked every bit of it: the flavour, the texture, all the vegetables mixed with the meat -- everything!  And my friend also really liked the Blogger's low-sugar & fat apple crumble I was given and invited him to share!' Local handyman
'Very nice flavour; the alcohol cooked out and left a big bowl of gently robust quintessentially English savoury goodness.'  Canadian Journalist

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This recipe has been developed by B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.