A very simple and cheap stew. Very satisfying. This fed 5 beer-filled hungry lads during a game of poker (plus one not do beer filled, but still very hungry fiancé). The ideal poker dinner is one that can be prepared way before the event, and with minimum effort to get it from oven to table, so we can eat, and then carry on losing our money.
This is a great recipe, no finesse required - chop and chuck in a pot. you could use any veg instead of or in addition to the ones I used.
- 1kg stewing steak (Sainsbury’s had 2 packs for £6)
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- A turnip
- An onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- A pint of ale, bitter, or stout
- Stock
- Tomato purée
- Plain flower
- Bay leaves and fresh thyme
Chop the meat up into chunks, bite-sized. Don’t worry about trimming off any fat. Brown in a large casserole on a high heat with some oil. Brown it in 2 batches to avoid over-crowding, put in a bowl and set aside. Roughly chop all the veg and bung them in the same pot, add more oil if necessary. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes on a high heat until they start to brown. Add a teaspoon of tomato purée, 2 bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, salt and pepper and some plain flour (maybe a tablespoon or so) - stir it all in well.
Pout in the ale. (I used Badger Beer Golden champion, which is a quite fruity. Bitter, any ale, and Guinness would all be fine too I reckon.) Dissolve a stock cube in 200ml of boiling water, and add a teaspoon of Marmite too, and pour this into the pot. Add the meat and any juices that have gathered in the bottom of the dish, stir it all together, put the lid on and bung it in the oven for about 4 hours on a medium/low heat (gas 3).
Served with tagliatelle for minimum fuss. The meat was soft and delicious, with a rich dark sauce and plenty of lovely soft vegetables - glorious. Probably cost not much more than £12, or £2 per person.