While according to the weather calendar, autumn began on Sunday September 1, the autumnal equinox is on Sunday September 22.
As the weather turns wetter, windier and cooler as the UK approaches the new season, prepare heartier meals for the whole family.
Taking less than 30 minutes to make at home, Mary Berry’s beef and mushroom stew recipe is sure to impress everyone who takes a bite.
Best served with green vegetables cooked with a creamy mash or potatoes dauphinois, the stew can be versatile with what you pair the meal with.
Even better, the stew can be made in large quantities from scratch and frozen for later in the year, keeping it in the freezer for up to three months.
Beef and mushroom stew
- Preparation: 30 min
- Cooking time: two hours and 30 minutes
- Serves: 10 people
Ingredients
- 2 kg of beef
- 50 g plain flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Six tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 10 small shallots, peeled
- Six sticks of celery, roughly sliced
- Eight carrots, roughly chopped
- 25 g of dried porcini mushrooms
- 600 ml of red wine or stout
- 300 ml of meat broth
- Three sprigs of thyme
- 500 g button mushrooms
- Two tablespoons of redcurrant jelly
- Mash to serve
Method
Cut the beef into 2.5 cm pieces and trim off the excess fat. Put the flour on a plate with plenty of salt and black pepper and toss the meat in it until it is well coated.
Heat the oil in a large fireproof pot and add the beef. Fry until brown on all sides.
Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the shallots, celery and carrots to the pan and fry for five minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in a bowl of 300ml boiling water until they soften. Drain, reserve the soaking liquid and chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces.
Pour the meat back into the pan and add red wine or stout. Bring to a boil for four to five minutes.
Add broth, soaked mushrooms, their soaking liquid and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for about two and a half hours or until tender.
Alternatively, cook it in a preheated oven at 150C (130C fan/300F/gas three) for the same amount of time.
Add the mushrooms and redcurrant jelly and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve with puree.
