This hearty beef and mushroom stew recipe, complete with bacon, parsnips and red wine, is the perfect meal for a cold day.
Looking for more beef stews and casseroles?
Beef and mushroom stew
The ideal comfort food.
- 2 hrs 30 mins cooking
- Serves 8
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Ingredients
- 1.7 kg piece beef bolar blade roast, excess fat trimmed
- ¼ cup (40g) plain flour
- ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
- 250 grams small swiss brown mushrooms, trimmed
- 16 shallots, peeled, root ends intact
- 2 trimmed celery stalks (200g), chopped coarsely
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- ¾ cup (180ml) marsala
- 3 cups (750ml) beef stock
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus extra to serve
- 2 bunches baby carrots (800g), trimmed, peeled
Method
- 1Cut beef into 4cm pieces. Place beef and flour in a large bowl; season. Toss beef to coat evenly in flour, shaking off excess.
- 2Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 7 litre (28-cup) cast iron or other flameproof casserole dish (see tip) over high heat. Cook beef, in batches, stirring, for 6 minutes or until browned all over; transfer each batch to a large heatproof bowl.
- 3Heat remaining oil in same dish; cook mushrooms, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add shallots and celery; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and marsala; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- 4Return beef and any juices to dish; add stock and thyme. Season; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered with a tight-fitting lid, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours.
- 5Add carrots; cook, uncovered, for a further 45 minutes or until beef is very tender and carrots are cooked.
- 6Serve half the beef stew topped with extra thyme. Transfer remaining beef stew to an airtight container; cool, then store.
Notes
We used a 25cm x 33cm oval cast iron casserole dish.Serve with lemon thyme soft polenta or, if you prefer mash side dishes, and chilli-garlic broccolini.Refrigerate beef stew in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge, then reheat in
a microwave.
