Beef & Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

Beef

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) beef chuck or stewing beef, cut into 3–4 cm chunks

• 1½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Gravy

• 300 g (10½ oz) mushrooms, sliced

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock

• 150 ml (⅔ cup) water

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ tsp paprika

• ½ tsp black pepper

• Salt, to taste

To thicken

• 1½ tbsp cornstarch

• 2 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Prepare the beef
   Pat the beef dry. Season with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with flour.

2. Brown the beef
   Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches for about 2–3 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Remove and set aside.

3. Cook the mushrooms
   Add the butter and sliced mushrooms. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned. Remove a small portion of the mushrooms if you want to use them as a garnish later.

4. Build the gravy
   Add onion and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

5. Deglaze
   Pour in the beef stock and water, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

6. Combine
   Return the beef to the pot. Add Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, paprika, black pepper and bay leaf.

7. Slow cook
   Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 1½–2 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Stir occasionally.

8. Thicken the gravy
   Mix cornstarch with cold water until smooth. Remove the bay leaf, then gradually stir the slurry into the simmering gravy. Cook for 2–3 minutes until thick and glossy.

9. Final seasoning
   Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add the reserved mushrooms on top before serving.

 Serving suggestions

Serve over:

• Mashed potatoes

• Steamed rice

• Egg noodles

• Pasta

• Crusty bread

For the appearance in your photo, serve the beef in a white ceramic casserole/bowl, spoon plenty of glossy gravy over the meat, and arrange a few sautéed mushroom slices on top.

Nutrition — approximate

Per serving (1/6 of recipe, without rice/potatoes):

Nutrition varies substantially with the cut of beef, stock, butter/oil, and amount of salt used.

Q/S: 6 servings. For 4 servings, use about ⅔ of all ingredients; for 8 servings, multiply everything by 4/3.