Adding a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to beef stew while it simmers is virtually guaranteed to enhance the richness of this classic comfort food, according to a recipe writer.
Beef stew is a hearty and comforting dish that is perfect in autumn, but the gravy can often turn out quite bland unless this simple ingredient is added to help bring out all the flavours in the pot.
Why Worcestershire sauce works
Beef is naturally savoury, yet as a fatty meat it can suppress other flavours and render them less distinct. The acidic properties of Worcestershire sauce cut through the fattiness of the beef, drawing out its natural richness and delivering a considerably more flavourful result.
The sauce also incorporates fermented ingredients such as anchovies, which are rich in glutamate, working to intensify the flavours of the other ingredients throughout the stew and making it altogether more savoury and wholesome.
Recipe for a richer stew
Incorporating Worcestershire sauce will intensify the beef's meaty flavour while enhancing the vegetables and tomato purée, resulting in a more thoroughly seasoned dish. The sauce already contains salt, so no additional seasoning is needed, though it can be added with caution as it is remarkably easy to overdo.
To make the stew, coat 700g of stewing beef chunks in a mixture of plain flour and garlic powder, then brown in olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add one chopped onion and cook for about five minutes until golden, then add three chopped carrots and two chopped celery stalks and cook for a further three minutes.
Simmering and thickening
Add three finely chopped garlic cloves and two tablespoons of tomato purée, cooking for roughly two minutes. Pour in 600ml of beef stock, then stir in two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 150ml of red wine (optional), one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, two bay leaves, one teaspoon of dried rosemary, one teaspoon of dried thyme and black pepper.
Cover and simmer gently for a minimum of one and a half hours, extending to two and a half hours if needed, to guarantee the beef becomes genuinely tender. Near the end of cooking, combine one tablespoon of cornflour with two tablespoons of cold water to form a smooth paste, stir it into the stew and cook for a further five minutes. Remove the bay leaves before serving, ideally with mashed potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.
