"Retreat Yourself"
Eating seasonally can sometimes be hard but here’s a warming autumn stew recipe! There's nothing like a good, easy stew to give us a warm hug on a cold day and this dish is packed with seasonal veg including some windfall apples we’ve stashed away. Apple add a lovely sweetness to a savoury dish when cooked – much like wine!
There are so many benefits to eating seasonal fruit and vegetable, they’re fresher, taste better, super nutritious and have less carbon footprint so is better for the environment too.
Easy Autumn Stew
Ingredients
2 bulbs of garlic
Olive oil
¼ lb bacon (cut into lardons)
2tbsp butter
2.5 lbs stewing steak
Flour
3 carrots, sliced
2 apples, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 bay leaves
2.5 cups apple cider
1litre beef stock
2 tsp mixed herbs
Method
Step 1: Preheat oven to 200 deg. Cut ends of garlic bulbs to expose cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, wrap in foil and roast to tender, 40-45 minutes. Remove garlic and reduce heat to 170 degrees.
Step 2: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and bacon. Fry bacon and remove from pan. Pour off some of the fat out of the pan and add butter.
Step 3: Pat meat dry and season with salt and pepper. Cover beef in flour and add to pan in batches. Cook till crispy. Remove beef and put with bacon.
Step 4: Add carrot, apple, celery, onion, bay, salt and pepper to the pot and partially cover. Cook to soften vegetables for a few minutes, then sprinkle with flour. Stir then add cider, stock, roasted garlic cloves and stir to combine. Add beef, bacon and mixed herbs to pan, bring to a boil then cover and transfer to oven. Cook for 2 hours, until tender and the sauce has thickened.
Step 5: Serve with a side of potatoes.