Ingredients

·         vegetable or sunflower oil , for frying

·         1 ½kg shin of beef or stewing beef, cut into cubes

·         3 tbsp flour

·         2 large onions, sliced

·         600g carrots, cut into batons

·         4 garlic cloves, crushed

·         glass red wine (about 175ml/6fl oz)

·         850ml beef stock

·         3 bay leaves

·         few thyme sprigs

·         jacket potatoes or mash, to serve

Method

·         STEP 1

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Put the beef in a bowl, sprinkle with the flour and seasoning, then mix until well coated. Fry in batches, adding more oil if necessary, until everything is well browned. Transfer to a casserole dish.

·         STEP 2

Add another tbsp oil to the pan and stir in the onion and carrots. Cover and gently cook for 10-12 mins until softened, then remove the lid and cook until just beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Pour in the wine and stir well, letting it boil up for 1 min, then pour the whole mixture over the meat. Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme, bring to a simmer, then cover and gently simmer for 2½ hrs until the meat is very tender. If the sauce looks a bit thin, remove the lid and continue to cook until it thickens. Eat half now; chill or freeze the rest for later (see 'Goes well with' for ideas on using the rest of the stew).