A Hearty Beef Stew for A Portuguese Red Wine

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For the Portuguese Big Tasting the first of two dishes to try with a couple of Portuguese reds; this a hearty beef stew constructed on the fly with whatever came to hand.

The key to a decent stew is the depth of flavour. With slow, long cooking the various flavour additions are going to meld and gain in intensity. If you add little you get little out.

Brown a batch of stewing beef coated in Hanbury Rubs Redmeat and Game Rub, remove from the pan before softening a sliced onion with a little pack of bacon/pancetta bits until these are crispy. Add a finely chopped garlic clove or two. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf, and 200ml of beef stock (that has had a few dried porcini soaked in it for 10 minutes or so) and a big splash of Worcester sauce. Simmer covered for an hour and a half. Remove the lid for the last twenty minutes or so to concentrate the sauce. Serve with a big pile of rice.