Melt in the Mouth Hereford Beef in a Root Vegetable, Tomato and Paprika Sauce

I'm on a mission to use use up the contents of the large freezer and this is a great way to start.  As a family we probably eat too much red meat but at least this is jam packed full of lovely vegetables too. Apart from quickly searing the beef there was only the veg to chop and then I then threw it all into the slow cooker and hey presto, 8 hours later a mouthwatering family supper.

Here it is ready for the slow burn

Ingredients 

3 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil

750g braising steak or stewing beef

2 onions, halved and sliced

2 sticks of celery, chopped into chunks

4 carrots, chopped into chunks

2 large parsnips, cut into chunks

1 bay leaf

1 good quality stock cube

1 litre boiling water, or just to cover the meat and veg

3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley plus extra as a garnish

2 - 3 tbsp tomato puree

2 teasp hot paprika

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt, to taste but be careful as stock cubes can be quite salty

Method

Put your slow cooker onto a medium heat or heat your oven to 150C.  Into a large casserole dish/slow cooker dish put the oil and heat adding the roughly chopped meat and sear in batches until browned.  Remove to a plate until all the meat is browned.  Add all the chopped veg to the dish, pour on the boiling water and stir.  Next add the stock cube, tomato puree, paprika, pepper and parsley.  Taste and add some salt if you think it needs it.  Mix all the ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil.  Turn the heat to low on the slow cooker cover and cook for 6-8 hours until really tender.  If using a conventional oven cook at 150C for 2 hours or until tender.  Once cooked, if you like a thicker sauce then remove the meat and veg from the dish and keep warm and then simmer the sauce on the hob until it reduces and thickens.  Return the meat and veg to the dish, sprinkle with more parsley and serve with fluffy mash or chunks of bread.