Nursery Beef Stew

I call this nursery beef stew because it tastes like the food my mum used to make for me when I was little and that I loved. I would imagine many children would like this because the taste is very 'safe' - not spicy, no garlic and everything is soft and mellow. The stew has incorporated two cooking ideas I have recently been turned on to – slow cooking meat for tenderness and using fewer ingredients to intensify flavours. I made this in the morning to serve in the evening. Real comfort food.

Serves 3 – 4

• 1 tablespoon of oil
  
• Shoulder of beef (wonderful dark meat with a little fat and some bone for flavor) cut into bite sized pieces
  
• ½ cup of white flour
  
• 2 heaped teaspoons of mild or smoked paprika
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• 1 large onion slice
  
• 2 large carrots split lengthways then cut into 3 inch pieces approx
  
• 1 litre of stock ( a mixture of beef and vegetable works really well)
  
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
  

On a large plate combine the flour with the paprika and a good grinding of salt and pepper

Coat the beef in the flour, massage the flour into the meat

Heat the oil in a large, heave based saucepan over a moderate heat

Sweat off the onions and carrot, turn up the heat

Add the beef and brown on all sides

Turn the heat to moderate and add the hot stock and mix well

Add then the tomato puree and mix well

Simmer covered for half an hour then turn down to the lowest setting

Leave to barely bubble, covered for about 1 and a half hours - until the carrots are soft and the meat is very tender (can be easily pulled about with two forks or chew a piece)

If it is still chewy leave to cook for longer, don't be tempted to reduce the cooking time.