Recipe: Beef and Winter Vegetable Casserole

This is actually my boyfriend's recipe, and he cooked me this lovely dinner, but I thought I would have to put it on here because he does rather make some of the best comfort food in the world (although in our house we do actually compete for who makes the best!). I kinda feel like it doesn't matter even if I go out in my warmest clothes and winter coat and gloves and all that, I still come home feeling cold, and wanting a big bowl of some lovely hot food. Theres something about the need of stews and casseroles in the autumn/winter to make you feel much warmer on the inside, much more than other foods.

Beef and Winter Vegetable Casserole (serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
Knob of butter
500g casserole steak, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
2 sticks celery, sliced
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
¼ a swede, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
½ tsp dried mixed herbs
400ml beef stock
1 tsp Bovril
150ml red wine
1 Bay leaf
Dash Worcester sauce
Dash chilli sauce (such as Tabasco or Cholula’s)
½ tsp corn flour, mixed with water.
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Brown the beef in the oil in a medium-large casserole dish, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add butter to the pan then sweat off onion and garlic, adding celery, carrot, swede and potato, stirring around occasionally for about 10 minutes.
2. Return the beef to the pot add the herbs, seasoning, wine, stock and bay leaf and cover with lid. Cook in the oven for about 2 and 1/2 hours- 3 hours, giving it a stir halfway through cooking. At the end thicken on the stove with a little corn flour mixed with water, finish with a dash of the sauces, and season to taste.