My Beef Casserole

Well alas! I am no longer vegetarian... my kids are little carnivores and I have succumbed to eating animals again too... I am reconciling my conscience by saying I will still endeavor to be a conscious eater, and I do appreciate meat all the more for the luxury it is.
Consequently this stew has lots of veggies in it and loads of gravy to make it go along way. It is delicious served with Tim's mashed potatoes (to which he adds a generous spoon of hot english mustard and cream!) and makes great leftovers with chewy toasted olive sourdough bread. Yum! A big pot full like this will feed the family for days, you can stash some in the freezer or even, if you're generous, give a bowl to a friend who needs a little home-cooked sustenance!

1kg stewing steak such as chuck or gravy beef
2 large onions, sliced thickly
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup pearl barley
5 carrots, peeled & sliced thickly
2 sticks celery, sliced thinkly
large handful button mushrooms, halved
4 bay leaves & sprig of thyme
1.5 cups red wine
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
3 beef style stock cubes or beef stock
3Tbs cornflour
1Tbs brown miso paste* optional
chopped parsley, to serve

Fry the onion and garlic gently in some olive oil in a heavy based pot. Meanwhile chop your meat into chunks, taking care to remove the yucky gristle and fatty bits as you go (which your furry friends will love!).
Remove the onion and fry the meat in batches to brown it - this colour will flavour and colour the stew nicely. When all the onion and meat is set aside in a bowl add the red wine and let it boil for a few minutes to reduce. Stir the wine with a wooden spoon to get all the flavour off the pot. Then add all your veggies and meat back in, the tinned tomatoes, pearl barley, bay leaves, thyme and stock cubes plus enough boiling water to cover (about half a litre). Bring the stew up to the boil then immediately turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Keep an eye on it - it should be simmering slowly under the lid. Leave it to cook like this for an hour or as long as you like.
When you are getting close to serving time, take some of the liquid and mix with the cornflour to make a paste (and avoid getting lumps) then pour this back into your stew and simmer to thicken the gravy.
At the last minute, stir in your miso paste and turn off the heat. The miso paste is optional but I find it enhances the stew's colour and makes the flavour more complex and delicious, especially with the pearl barley - it is also incredibly good for you! Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

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