recipe for good beef stew ?

[goldenbolls]

i usually make it with beef mince meat and it turns out nice, usually brown mince etc add carrots and lots of purnips etc then some beef gravy granules but im constantly searching for new ideas to make the perfect beef stew, i know i should be adding beef cubes/ stewing steak but its so expensive these days so i favour mince meat, i have heard people saying that they add a can of soup into the stew ?

any more idea,s much appreciated. also any herbs i can add ? THANKS

[Mosaic]

The cans of campbells soups are especially useful for this kind of thing, and being concentrate are less watery than the normal kind so the stew is less sloshy. I used to make curry with campbell's tomato soup.

[Mamyalynne]

Knorr 'Touch of Taste' stock in a bottle gives a good dense flavour, I always add a good squeeze of tomato purée too and a slug of balsamic vinegar.

[hc4361]

Oxtail soup is very good in stews.

[shaneystar2]

Try skirt which is very much cheaper than expensive stewing steak .
You just need to cook it really slowly .You don't need those salty granules either .
Stew for me has to have pieces of meat not mince .Adding soup to mince makes slop :)

[gingejbee]

I do a "Highland Beef casserole" with the beef, root veg, beef stock, Worcester sauce and a handful of pearl barley, which makes it nice and thick - and a lovely taste.

[whiskeysheri]

Use the recipe for the filling for this pie, goldenbolls. Just don't let it reduce to thicker than you need. I've made it loads of times and everyone LOVES it. :)

[heathfield]

Try placing a whole Scotch Bonnet pepper in the stew while it's cooking. Be very careful when stirring to keep it whole, and not to break it, then remove it before serving. Adds an incredible flavour to a stew, and without the chilli heat you'd expect.