Slow Cooker Beef & Ale Stew

This is my version of Mary Berry's Beef & Ale Stew, adapted for the slow cooker, and minus the horseradish dumplings.  Although I have posted a Slow Cooker Beef in Beer before (with dumplings I note), this recipe has to be my new favourite.  I am not a fan of stewed vegetables in stews, with the exception of mushrooms which give this dish a really rich flavour.  That and the beer.

Serves 4
2–3 tbsp olive oil
800g braising beef, shin or ox cheek, cut into cubes
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
200g mushrooms, cut to the same size as the beef
50g plain flour
500ml ale
150ml just boiled water
1 beef stock cube

Switch the slow cooker onto high to warm.

Cube the beef and brown in batches 1tbsp oil in a saucepan.  When brown, remove each batch to the warming slow cooker leaving behind as much oil as possible.  After the beef is browned, fry the onions in the saucepan, adding more oil if needed.  When brown add these to the slow cooker, and fry the mushrooms and carrot again with a little more oil if needed.  Remove these to the slow cooker after a few minutes.

Whisk a little ale into the flour to make a smooth paste then whisk in the remaining ale.  Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and add both the stock and ale to the saucepan.  Bring to the boil, scraping off all the meat, onion, & mushroom bits that will have stuck to the pan.  Once boiling, turn off the heat and stir into the meat in the slow cooker.  Cover the stew and cook for 6-8 hours when the meat will be meltingly soft.

We are serving ours with mashed potato and greens.

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