Beef with red wine & carrots

• vegetable

  or sunflower oil , for frying

• shin of beef↗1 ½kg kg

  or stewing beef, cut into cubes

• flour↗3 tbsp tbsp
• onions↗2 large

  sliced

• carrots↗600g g

  cut into batons

• garlic cloves↗4

  crushed

• red wine↗glass

  glass (about 175ml/6fl oz)

• beef stock↗850ml ml
• bay leaves↗3
• thyme sprigs↗few

  few

• jacket potatoes

  or mash, to serve

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Put the beef in a bowl, sprinkle with the flour and seasoning, then mix until well coated. Fry in batches, adding more oil if necessary, until everything is well browned. Transfer to a casserole dish.

2. 2

   Add another tbsp oil to the pan and stir in the onion and carrots. Cover and gently cook for 10-12 mins until softened, then remove the lid and cook until just beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Pour in the wine and stir well, letting it boil up for 1 min, then pour the whole mixture over the meat. Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme, bring to a simmer, then cover and gently simmer for 2½ hrs until the meat is very tender. If the sauce looks a bit thin, remove the lid and continue to cook until it thickens. Eat half now; chill or freeze the rest for later (see 'Goes well with' for ideas on using the rest of the stew).