Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 lb (900g) beef braising steak, cut into bite-size chunks
  • 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 brown onions (peeled and diced)
  • 2 fat cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika (just use regular if you don't have smoked)
  • large pinch of salt and pepper
  • 28 oz (800g/two tins) canned chopped tomatoes in juice
  • 2 1/4 cups (600ml) hot beef stock (water plus 2 stock cubes is fine)
  • 1 tbsp honey (optional - this is just to neutralize some of the acidity from the tomatoes)
  • 2 red bell peppers (deseeded and sliced)
  • 1 cup (225ml) sour cream
  • Cooked pasta - such as pappardelle, tagliatelle or penne
  • handful of chopped parsley
  • Extra sour cream

Instruction

  • Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Heat up the oil in your dutch oven or oven-friendly casserole dish.
  • Dredge the beef in the flour, salt and pepper and fry in 2-3 batches until well-browned.
  • Once browned, remove from the pan and place in a bowl.
  • Turn down the heat and place the onions in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring (try to scrape up a some of the brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Keep the heat low to ensure it doesn't burn).
  • Add in the garlic and tomato puree, stir, then add the beef back in.
  • Sprinkle the beef with the paprika, salt and pepper and stir to coat.
  • Then pour in the canned tomatoes, beef stock and honey. Stir and bring to a simmer.
  • Once simmering, scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan and stir. Then place a lid on and place in the oven to cook for 3 hours 30 minutes.
  • Check and stir 2 or 3 times during cooking to ensure nothing is sticking and that there is still plenty of liquid (you can add a splash of water if needed).
  • After 3 and 1/2 hours, add in the peppers, stir and put back in the oven for 30 minutes.
  • Take out of the oven, stir, then swirl the soured cream on top, sprinkle with parsley and serve with pasta and extra sour cream.