Lots of us are trying to find ways to cook meals that are cheaper on the ingredients and also use less energy too. But I’m sure it’s not just me that finds slow cooker recipes so hard to get on with , they always turn out so ‘wet’ and lack taste and oomph.
So when this worked the other day, I was over joyed! The key was to not use too much liquid, cooking it for a long time creates condensation which adds to the moisture content. I added in spices to make it tasty, but it enhances the beef, doesn’t taste of anything different.
This fed 3 people, just increase the meat for more. I served it with mashed potatoes and frozen veg which made it a very cheap dinner.
- 350g lean stewing beef
- 1/2 pint of beef stock
- 1 tbps plain flour
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 2 carrots
- 3 mushrooms (you can use more, this is all I had!)
The beef was cubed already but they were quite big chunks and it always seems like not a lot on the plate like that. So I began by cutting them into smaller chunks. Put the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl, mix to combine and then put the beef in to coat every piece.
Add a small amount of oil of your choice to a pan and fry the coated beef for a few minutes. Add in the stock, stir and then transfer to your slow cooker.
I always buy wonky carrots and this was perfect for using up the small chunks that are tricky to peel, I just cleaned them up, top and tailed them and added to the recipe with the mushrooms.
Cook on low for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally to loosen the coating from the beef.
