Ahira's Hangar

Winter-Warmer Staithi
submitted by: Stonemaybe

Tonight I made my Winter-Warmer Staithi (my word, I think, pronounced 'stYA-he') which is like a thick beef stew where everything you have in the kitchen goes into a big pot and ends up delicious and hot and thick and is great on a chilly winter evening. I'll try and describe how I made it, and as i go I'll put the ingredients I used this time at the top. 'Exp' means experimental!
(This was enough for two very hungry people, with enough left for a very hungry me tomorrow)

about 500g beef (cheap!), small-ish cubed
butter
two large potatoes, quartered then quartered again
3 medium carrots, thickly sliced
1 parsnip, thickly sliced
2 medium courgettes (zucchini), thickly sliced
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 chilli, roughly chopped
16 small onions (bitesize, whole)
12 small button mushrooms, whole
8 broccholi florets(is that the word?)
1.5 pints beef stock
half a bottle red wine
sprinkling of fish oil exp
sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce exp
2tbsp parsley, chopped exp
3 bay leaves exp
5 sprigs thyme exp
2 tsp flour exp
salt and pepper

Using a BIG pot (with a lid), melt the butter and brown the beef.
Once it's brown, spoon it out into a bowl.
Throw in the courgettes(Zucchini), mushrooms and onions and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and chilli and the beef again, fry for another 4-5 minutes.
Add potato, carrots, parsnip.
Add red wine.
Add enough beef stock to cover everything.
Add fish oil and Worcestershire sauce.
Add parsley (I had some frozen)
Tie up bay leaves (I used dried) with thyme (I had some frozen) with some thread and throw it in.
Cover and cook on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

At this stage I ralised it wasn't thickening up at all, so I spooned out all the potato I could find, mashed them up and put them back in. I also sprinkled a heaped teaspoon of flour in and mixed it all up well.
Left lid off and turned the heat up to medium for another 15 minutes.
Add broccholi.
Heat for another ten minutes, or until the liquid has gone really thick.
take out the thyme/bay leaf bouquet thing and serve.

Eat with a spoon, blowing lots first to cool down first ten mouthfuls!