Beef Stew

This is a  recipe from Chef Jamie Oliver's official website http://www.jamieoliver.com.  It's  a favorite of his wife Jool's and it's a delicious easy meal that serves as comfort food during the winter months.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it's quick and you can add any root vegetables you desire.  It is best to use grass-fed beef available at the Ottawa Organic Farmers Market http://www.oofmarket.ca for the best nutrition and flavour.  I make it in a slow cooker in the morning for a hassle-free dinner.

Joanne Levesque, RHN, Pure Med Office Manager

• olive oil • 2 tablespoons of butter • 1 onion, peeled and chopped • a handful of fresh sage leaves • 800g/1¾lb grass-fed stewing steak or beef skirt, cut into 5cm/2 inch pieces • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • flour, to dust • 2 parsnips, peeled and quartered • 4 carrots, peeled and halved • ½ a butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced • optional: a handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved • 500g/1lb 2oz small potatoes • 2 tablespoons tomato purée • ½ a bottle of red wine • 285ml/½ pint beef or vegetable stock • zest of 1 lemon, finely grated • a handful of rosemary, leaves picked • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped Preheat the oven to 160ºC/300ºF/. Put a little oil and your butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to break apart a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready. Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C/225°F and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat.  Serve with warm bread.  Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating.  Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.