Autumnal Healthy Beef Stew

It's autumn! Time to make an easy beef stew!

I think the ultimate British comfort food is beef stew. There's nothing as warming and comforting as a hearty stew that's been cooking all day long, but I want a bit of a change from the traditional, British stew - it's just a bit too stodgy. 

I've developed this Autumnal Healthy Beef Stew to be a bit lighter and more nourishing. I used to always thicken my stews by adding flour to the pot before adding the stock (and usually some form of booze - like wine or beer). But I was looking for something less heavy that doesn't require roast potatoes and a giant Yorkshire pudding! This stew is thickened with red and green lentils. I like it quite soup-like too.

Steak and Chips

You can't beat a classic, so here's my Steak and Chips. The main course of the Mean Mother Cooker Valentine's menu. The steak is served rare with a red wine jus, horse radish cream, potato and sweet potato baked chips and wilted spinach.


Ingredients:
2 rump steaks - or the steak of your choice
1 wine glass of red wine
2 teaspoons of horse radish
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
3 potatoes
1 large sweet potato
baby spinach

HOW TO MAKE:

Cut the chips and place on a baking tray with a tablespoon of olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 200ºC. Once the chips are in the oven., get your steaks out of the fridge to bring to room temperature.

Make the horse radish cream by combining the horse radish, mayonnaise and creme fraiche. 

Season the steak with olive oil and black pepper. Make sure your frying pan is very hot before adding the steak. A rare steak will take about 7-9 minutes, turning every minutes or so. Once your steak is done, let it rest while you deglaze the pan with the wine. Let it rapidly boil and reduce to a syrup. At the last minute, wilt the spinach in a hot pan, season and serve. Always remember to season the meat with salt before serving.