Chilli beef stew recipe

Beef stew is always a great meal to make if you're having a quiet night in and need a warming, easy meal to keep you cosy. This simple recipe will show you how to make beef stew in a super easy way, and you will definitely want to make this recipe again and again. This beef stew is enough to serve 4 to 6 people, depending on how hungry they are - but you can always double up the recipe if you're feeding more people. This spicy chilli beef stew uses chilli powder rather than fresh chillies as the strength of chillies varies so much, chilli powder is more consistent and you definitely know you'll get a real kick out of it. This easy beef stew recipes also uses paprika, which helps give it a more rounded flavour. One teaspoon of hot chilli powder gives a nice heat, but add an extra ½ teaspoon if you like it more firey. However, if you have fresh chillies, use one finely chopped chilli to make this beef stew instead of the chilli powder. Keep the seeds in for extra heat or remove them if preferred. You can also add 2 cubes of plain chocolate at the end of cooking to make a glossier rich sauce. It will take you around 2 hours and 15 mins to cook this delicious beef stew, but it's totally worth the wait - trust us. With fragrant spices and a tomatoey flavour, no one will be able to resist this gorgeous stew.

Ingredients

• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• 500g lean stewing beef, cut into cubes
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder or 1 tbsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 400g can tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 150ml full bodied red wine or beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 400g can red kidney beans, drained
• 198g can sweetcorn, drained
• 1tbsp sliced jalapeno peppers from a jar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Fan 150°C/Gas Mark 3. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole, add the beef and onion and fry for 5 mins until browned.
2. Add the red pepper, garlic, spices and oregano and fry for 2-3 minutes then stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree.
3. Pour over the red wine or beef stock and Worcestershire sauce, if using, bring to the boil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and transfer to the oven for 11/2-2hrs until the meat is tender, adding more stock if necessary. Add the kidney beans, sweetcorn and jalapeno peppers and return to the oven for a further 30 mins. Serve with boiled rice or flour tortillas.