Italian-Style Beef Stew

15 minutes prep, 3 hours, 20 minutes cook

Serves 6

Ingredients

1.35kg well-hung stewing beef or lean flank

Rapeseed or olive oil, for frying

2 large carrots, cut into 1cm slices

285g sliced onions

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

150ml red wine

150ml brown beef stock

140g sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tomato purée

900g very ripe tomatoes

1 small onion, chopped

1 tbsp granulated sugar

A good pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper

For the gremolata:

4 tbsps freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 generous teaspoon grated or finely chopped lemon zest

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Method

1. To make the tomato purée, cut the ripe tomatoes into quarters, put into a stainless steel saucepan with the onion, sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook over a gentle heat until the tomatoes are soft (no water needed). Put through the fine blade of a mouli legumes or a nylon sieve. Leave to get cold then chill or freeze.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C /Gas 3. Trim the meat of any excess fat, then cut into 4cm cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a casserole; sweat the sliced carrots and onions over a gentle heat with the lid on for 10 minutes. Heat a little more oil in a frying pan until almost smoking. Sear the pieces of meat on all sides, reduce the heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Mix the wine, stock and 250ml of the tomato purée together and add gradually to the casserole. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Cover and cook gently for 2–3 hours in the oven, depending on the cut of meat. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in a hot pan in a little olive oil, add to the casserole with the chopped parsley about 30 minutes before the end of cooking.

4. To make the gremolata, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve the stew with polenta, mashed potatoes or pasta and a good green salad.