Back by popular demand is the beef stew I made months ago. This time I came out with a Creamy Mushroom Beef Stew version and had lots of Wows. It needs to be pen down before I forget what I added. Because a huge part of this recipe is based on “ingredients available in the fridge”, estimation and spontaneous tasting, I’ll try to include the measurements best to my ability.
If you like a more tomato based stew, try out my Classic Beef Stew. It’s SO GOOD. The thyme elevates the flavor of the dish. I realize with stews that the longer you let it sit, the better it gets. So if you’re inviting guest over, try cooking the stew 1-2 days beforehand to let the flavors become more intense. As you reboil the stew a couple of times, the beef not only gets softer, you get all those flavor sucked into the stew. Yup and so true is the saying “ it gets better as it ages”.
The creamy mushroom version of this stew leaves out the tomato component. I didn’t add the vegetables as well ( Celery and leek). I wanted the mushrooms to be the star of this dish. During my travels, we had a lot of pasta throughout the trip and many of them involved pancetta and bacon cooked with this lovely pink sauce. Bacon sure does add a little saltiness to the stew so try and cut back on salt and only add them later on in the cooking process. You can rectify a non salty stew but it’s hard to reverse an overly salty stew. If you want the stew more creamy, you can always add a splash of cream ( optional).
This Mushroom Beef Stew is best enjoyed with mash as sides, potatoes. You can even eat it with a bowl of steaming white rice or toasted bread. Whatever it is, it’s a real comfort treat during rainy and cold weathers. For mine, I chose to serve it with pasta.
While searching for beef stock, I actually came across this Mushroom soup with beef broth ( Packet by Campbell) so I decided to use this in place of the usual beef stock. Hoping that the stew will become thicker and more mushroomy. Boy was I right so yup sharing with you the recipe below and hope you’ll enjoy it!
Creamy Mushroom Beef Stew (Serves about 5-7pax)
Ingredients
900g of beef shin
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 – 2 tsp Garlic powder
1 -2 tsp Onion powder
Salt and black pepper ( to taste)
150g bacon, chopped into squares
80-100g Parmesan cheese
500ml Creamy mushroom soup with beef broth
1.5 cups water ( or more depending on how thick you want your stew)
1 splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 pkt (500g) Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
1 pkt (110g) Oyster Mushrooms
2-3 tbsp of full cream ( Optional if you want a creamy stew)
Steps
1) Cut the beef shin into small portions and season well with salt and pepper
2) Heat olive oil in a heavy based pan ( I used Le Creuset Cast Iron 24cm Pot)
3) When oil is hot, sear the beef shin on all sides to get that brown color. Remove and set aside
4) With the remaining oil in pan, add onions and bacons and fry till bacon is brown and onions are soft. Remove and set aside
5) Now Fry Mushrooms with garlic powder and onion powder till soft ( Reserve ½ batch to add on at a later stage)
6) Add Bacons and onions back into pot together with half batch of mushrooms.
7) Pour in the mushroom soup with beef broth and 1 cup of water and stir to combine
8) Add in the beef shin. Bring to a boil and skim the surface scum.
9) Turn fire down to low and simmer for 1 hr 15 mins. Check and stir pot so contents won’t stick to the bottom.
10) After 1 hr 15 mins, add in remaining mushrooms, parmesan cheese and more water if stew is too thick.
11) Cook for another 1.5 – 2 hrs or until meat is soft and tender.
12) Once the stew is ready, add a splash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper ( to taste)
13) Serve stew hot with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes or rice 🙂
14) Stew is excellent the next day as flavors start to develop.
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