Dirty Beef Stew

This beef stew is “dirty” in the sense we Irish use the word – with something of a diamond-in-the-rough quality to it, thanks to copious red wine and a hint of cinnamon. Photograph: Aidan Crawley
This beef stew is “dirty” in the sense we Irish use the word – with something of a diamond-in-the-rough quality to it, thanks to copious red wine and a hint of cinnamon. Photograph: Aidan Crawley
Serves: 6
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 2 hrs 0 mins

Ingredients

  • Serves 6400g stewing beef, cubed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 onions, peeled and diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 300ml stock
  • 1/2 bottle red wine
  • Large bunch parsley, roughly chopped

Start by browning the beef in the olive oil and then set it aside.

Next, sweat the onions and carrots in the leftover juices, along with the bay leaf and garlic.

Then add the remainder of the ingredients, return the beef to the pot and simmer for at least two hours, until the meat is tender, with a lid on.

And I do mean tender. If it’s not really soft to eat, with no sense of rigidity, then just top up with a bit more liquid and let it simmer away.

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp

Domini Kemp, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a chef and food writer