Mothers Stew
(Simple comfort food)

Thoughts turn to comfort food in these winter months. If you want a quick to prepare stew with none of that celebrity chef stuff like “reducing liquid” and “prepare a good beef stock and simmer for three days” etc, then you can’t go wrong with this. Just the smell of this cooking brings back warm memories of Saturdays, bright blue skies, bright sunshine and deep snow (so we are probably talking 1963).

Ingredients - serves 6

1¼lb (550g) chuck steak, cubed 5oz yellow split peas  
Sprinkling of plain flour ½ small Swede
(approx 1lb/450g)		 Peeled and cubed
(appox ½inch/12mm cube)
2 x tablespoons vegetable oil 2 x medium potatoes
(approx 12oz/325g)
1 x 400g tin of beef mulligatawny soup 3 x medium Parsnips
(approx 1lb/450g)
1 x 400g tin of oxtail soup 2 x large Carrots
(approx 10oz/275g)
2 x Beef Oxo cubes 1 large onion, diced  

Method

  1. Soak the split peas in water overnight.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan (In my kitchen, only the pressure cooker pan is big enough).
  3. Toss the chuck steak in the flour and brown in the saucepan.
  4. Add the mulligatawny and oxtail soups, and the Oxo cubes to the saucepan and stir well.
  5. Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to the boil.
  6. Cover saucepan and simmer for approx 2 hours, stirring frequently.
  7. Alternatively (and more conveniently) after stage 5, transfer to a slow cooker and follow manufacturers instructions. I tend to prepare this in the evening and cook overnight in the slow cooker.

Serve with crusty bread or dumplings. This also freezes extremely well.

Images

cubed beef
Cubed chuck steak