When I hear the word stew, I am transported back to the thin, tasteless dishes that passed for dinner at boarding school. A good stew is thick, rich with flavour, deeply satisfying, and a far cry from anything I ever ate at school. Stew is the perfect meal for a cold winter evening. Pity about its name.
My favourite stews contain large chunks of tender beef, cooked slowly, that shred easily into the savoury sauce. And as beef and mushrooms are the very best of friends, it seems only natural to add mushrooms to any beef stew I make. The deep, savoury notes of the mushrooms compliment the beef perfectly, almost melting into the sauce as the stew cooks.
Slowly simmer beef and mushrooms together and the end result is a hearty stew that needs little more than some simple boiled potatoes and a green vegetable to accompany it. Except maybe dessert. Dessert is always welcome, particularly in my house. Or is that just me?
I like to brown the beef and the onions in a fry pan before adding them to the slow cooker. I then deglaze the pan and pour all that flavour into the slow cooker as well. It is just one of the things I do to improve the dish. This is not an essential step though, so if you are short of time just skip it. Your stew will still taste great.
When it comes to cooking this beef and mushroom stew, I think it is worth making a lot more than is actually needed for that night's dinner. Stew is always better the next day, so if you are really organised, make the stew a day ahead and reheat it for dinner. I like to turn any leftover stew into pie - a great way to reinvent leftovers and feel like you are actually eating a whole new meal without the effort.
My slow cooker is getting a good work out this winter. I love that I can load it up in the morning, and come home on a cold, wintery evening to this hearty beef and mushroom stew. Dinner without effort. What's not to love.
Slow Cooker Beef and Mushroom Stew
Author: Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas
- 1.5kg chuck or stewing steak, cut into large pieces
- 1 large onion (2 small), chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
- 300ml (1 cup + ¼ cup) beef stock
- 40 ml (2 Tablespoons) tomato paste
- 20 ml (1 Tablespoon) Worcestershire Sauce
- 300g mushrooms, quartered
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon thyme leaves
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil (if browning ingredients)
- Turn your slow cooker on to low to warm the insert.
- Whisk the beef stock, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce together, and set aside.
- Brown the beef chunks on both sides in a fry pan over a medium high heat. Avoid overcrowding the pan as the meat will stew rather than fry.
- When browned, transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the onions to the fry pan (adding more oil if necessary). Fry for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic to the pan and fry for 1 minute.
- Scatter the flour over the onions, and continue to fry for one minute.
- Pour the beef stock mixture into the fry pan.
- Stir briefly to incorporate the flour mixture into the stock, then pour the contents of the fry pan into the slow cooker.
- Add the mushrooms, carrots, bay leaf, and thyme to the slow cooker.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir thoroughly to coat the beef and vegetables in the sauce.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook for 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on high.
- At the end of the cooking time, stir through the parsley and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
- Serve with boiled potatoes and green vegetables.
- Add the beef, mushrooms, carrots, bay leaf, and thyme to the slow cooker.
- Whisk the (cold) beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and flour together until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the contents of the slow cooker.
- Season with salt & pepper.
- Stir everything together and replace the lid of the slow cooker.
- Cook for 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on high.
- At the end of the cooking time, stir through the parsley and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
- Serve with boiled potatoes and green vegetables.
