Auntie Cath Cooks: Slow-Braised Beef Stew

Actress and home cook Catherine Tyldesley (@auntiecath17) shares a favourite seasonal recipe for keeping the family fed and comforted through the colder months.

It’s arguably my favourite time of year—getting cosy and putting the fire on. It’s also time for proper comfort food, and this braised beef stew is one of our absolute favourites for a couple of reasons. For me, I love it because it’s a brilliant way of sneaking in plenty of extra veg for the kids, and it’s also incredibly handy for busy midweek meals because you can pre-cook it ahead of time and simply warm it up after school.

Now I just need to find some self-control to stay away from the mince pies and sticky toffee pudding!

Watch: Catherine & Tom on Behind the BROOD

Auntie Cath’s Braised Beef Stew

The Ingredients

• 500g lean stewing beef
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 handfuls of shallots
• 4 sticks of celery
• 4 carrots
• Fresh thyme
• ½ a tin of chopped tomatoes
• 25g tomato purée
• 100ml red wine
• 500ml bone broth (or quality beef stock)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Dice the beef into 1cm pieces, toss in a bowl with the flour to coat evenly, and set aside.
3. Add a splash of oil to a large oven-safe casserole pan and place over medium heat. When hot, add the beef and cook for 5 minutes until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Peel and finely chop the garlic and onions/shallots. Trim and roughly chop the celery, and peel, trim, and chop the carrots.
5. Splash a little more olive oil into the pan, add the chopped vegetables, and cook for roughly 10 minutes until softened.
6. Return the beef to the pan, then stir through the tomatoes, tomato purée, fresh thyme, and red wine. Once the liquid has reduced and absorbed slightly, pour in the bone broth.
7. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Cover with a lid and transfer the casserole pan to the oven to cook for 3 hours, or until the meat is melt-in-the-mouth tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.

Serve warm with crusty bread, steamed greens, or a generous scoop of creamy mashed potato. If you’re meal-prepping for the week ahead, allow the stew to cool completely before portioning into airtight containers—the rich flavours taste even better the following day!