Recipe - Winter Warmer Stew

No one living in the UK can have missed that we've been having some unusual weather. For those of you not living in the UK - it has been f**cking freezing (for the UK), with lots of snow.

Cold weather calls for comforting food and I think this recipe definitively comes in under that heading. It is fairly low on the amount of ingredients as well as the work you need to put in. However, it does take some time to cook so set out in good time.

The biggest problem I found with it was that it filled my flat with such nice smells that I wanted to eat it well before it was finished cooking. I resisted temptation, this time, and was rewarded with a very tasty stew and really tender meat.

As always, freestyle it. Add and subtract spices and vegetables to mix what you got at home.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1tbsp oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped/minced
2 green peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
500g diced braising steak
500ml passata
250ml water
Salt
Pepper

Method
Heat the oil, cumin, chili flakes, and smoked paprika in a cast iron casserole pan or similar on a medium heat. Stir well and let this cook for about a minute.

Stir in the pepper and onion. Keep cooking and stirring until the pepper and onion starts to soften. Add in the meat and let it cook until the meat is browned on all sides.

Mix in the passata and water, season to taste. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let this simmer for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Serve with rice and some white bread to mop up the sauces with.

Enjoy!