Mediterranean Stew



This delicious, warming dish came out by accident.

I started with the intentions of making a slow cooked beef stew. However when I got started I remembered that this week I had not bought any root vegetables. So I had a look at what I had got and came up with a Mediterranean twist on a classic British dish.

This is what I got...

 

Mediterranean Stew

 

Ingredients

 

400g casserole steak

1 red onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 red peppers, sliced

2 courgettes, cut into chunks and quartered

300g new potatoes, washed and quartered

100g pearl barley

100g wholegrain brown rice

1 tin chopped tomatoes

500mls beef stock

Oregano

Basil

Paprika

Cayenne pepper

Seasoning

 

Method

 

1 - Brown off the meat in a frying pan and then transfer to the slow cooker

 

2 - Add the red onions, garlic, peppers and a sprinkling of oregano

 

3 - Leave on a high heat for about an hour then reduce to a low heat for 2 hours

 

4 - Add the courgettes, tinned tomatoes, cooked pearl barley, beef stock

 

5 - Mix in a good sprinkling of some more oregano, basil, paprika and cayenne pepper. The amount that you add depends on taste so add a little, taste and add more if desired

 

6 - Leave to cook for a further 2 hours on a low heat

 

7 - Cook the wholegrain brown rice

 

7 - The stew sauce should by now be quite thick, if you like your sauce to be thinner add a little water, season to taste

 

8 - Stir in the cooked rice and serve

 



The herbs and spices that this stew offers certainly make this a warming stew and a dish that is a little bit different from the traditional version!

This is also lovely served with garlic bread.

Enjoy x