Hearty Beef Stew served with Sweet Roasted Butternut

What better way to fill your tummy with a healthy hearty stew. Though this dish may take some time to make (read a lot of time) it is well worth the wait. 

We (I say we because in actual fact, T made this meal and I was there for picture taking and moral support) made this on one of our days off last week (we were both on leave for a week – more on that in another post wink wink). 

To get the best results, make this dish when you are sure have at least 2hours to spare OR if you are blessed with a slow cooker, you can throw it together before you leave for work and leave it on all day ;)

700g stewing beef

1 onion

1tbsp sunflower oil

¼ tsp chopped garlic

½ tsp thyme

1 ½ tsp steak and chops spice

1 bay leaf

1 can chopped tomato

3 medium sized carrots (roughly chopped)

2 potatoes (although we used more because its my thing – we used 5)

1 cup beef stock

salt and pepper to taste

Slice onions and brown over medium heat.

Add meat to pot and brown with onions (you can coat meat in flour prior to adding it to the pot to help thicken the sauce.)

Preheat oven to 180° C
Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf and steak and chops spice to meat and onion mix. Cook for 2 minutes until garlic has cooked.

Add tomatoes, stock, potatoes and carrots and bring to the boil.

Place pot (lid on) in oven and cook for 2-2 ½ hours.

If you're at home making this dish, stir the pot every 45 minutes and add water as needed.

For last ½ hour of cooking, remove the lid from the pot to help thicken the stew.

Butternut

2 medium sized butternut

Preheat oven to 180°C

Chop butternut in half (lengthways) and remove seeds – you should have 4 pieces of butternut.

Place butternut in baking tray and bake for an hour or until soft.

I chose not to add any sugar to the butternut as I'm trying to keep the calories down. If you would really prefer additional sweetener, drizzle some honey on the pumpkin.

To serve

Use a fork to fluff up the butternut while still in its casing. Take care not to tear to the butternut skin as this makes for a better display :)

Place stew on top of fluffed up butternut and serve!

Enjoy!

Going the extra mile to plate the food well will be appreciated by your guests/family/better half/friend whoever you choose to share this meal with. And trust me, US, this meal is DEFINITELY worth sharing.