It's getting cold outside: Beef and Lentil Stew

So it is getting cold outside, you are probably starting to get into the winter mood, feeling a little lazy, a little blue. Well, this is the perfect moment to cook some comfort food, something that will warm your belly and will put a fucking smile on your face, by now you know you need something like this. So forget the calorie count and lets prepare this amazing, rich and hefty Beef and Lentil Stew.

First of all, as usual, gather the ingredients:

• Cumin seeds: This recipe is a bit of a fusion of flavors, the cumin seeds and lentils will give this a little middle eastern twist.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Bay leaves: Two if small one if big.
• Thyme
• Dijon Mustard: To give it a sharp end.
• Some leeks
• Some Carrots: Four or five, remove the ends and peel them.
• Some Garlic: A couple of cloves.
• Lentils: Brown lentils are completely ok, but we will have to be aware of the times so we don’t get them mushy.
• Tomato Paste: Try to use tomato paste not tomato puree, it will give you a deeper flavor.
• Red Wine: Rule number one with cooking with wine, if you would not drink a glass of that wine, don’t use it for cooking. The common misconception here is that you should use some not so good wine for cooking, but that is bullshit. The flavors in the wine will be intensified when you cook with it, if its not a good enough wine, you will end up with some nasty flavors in your dish, you DO NOT WANT THAT. But don't worry, good wine does not necessarily mean expensive, so, try out some decently priced wines until you find one you are perfectly comfortable with and stick with it.
• Broth: You can perfectly use pre-packed broth, your choice chicken or beef. In my case I like making my own broth with a combination of beef and chicken (and sometimes pork), sometimes I use the chicken bones left over from my Sunday roasts. I put all the bones and meats in a big pot with some celery, carrots, onion, garlic, leek, salt and pepper and cover them with enough water, then I let them simmer for at least a couple of hours, then I strain and put them in containers, they keep well in the fridge and can be used for any type of soup later on.
• Meat: This time I am using some nice grass fed beef leg I found with my butcher, this recipe works well with ox tails, short rib and neck. I have also done similar things with rabbit and venison, your choice really.
• Roux: Completely optional, but I like having a bit of this at my disposal to thicken my sauces. To make this you simply have to have equal parts of butter and flour, melt the butter and sprinkle the flour on it, stir and cook the flour until it looses its raw flavour, a couple of minutes should do the trick, you can keep the mix in the heat to achieve darker colours for different applications, in our case nearly whit roux is enough. After that you can refrigerate and keep for your sauces.

The Ingredients

Once you have all your ingredients it is time to start cooking, fucking finally. It will take like 20 minutes of preparation and then a couple of hours cooking, so, take your time.

1. First of all, cut your meat into bite size (ish) chunks, season well with salt, pepper. In a deep pot, heat up some olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Brown you beef on both sides and set aside.
2. Now sauté the leeks until soft.
3. Take the meat back to the pot and add about half a bottle of red wine, scrape the brown goodness at the bottom of the pan, to have extra flavours playing here.
4. Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
5. Add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and bay leaves.
6. Add enough broth to cover everything, bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Leave simmering for 1 1/2 hours.
7. Take a walk, a drink, a stroll, or whatever hobby you have while the meat is slowly cooking.
8. After that time you should come back and check your meat, it should be quite tender by now, add the carrots and a handful of lentils, pour in some more broth, just enough to cover everything and let it simmer for some extra 30 min.
9. After that, come back and check if the lentils are done, if so, remove everything into a serving bowl with a strainer spoon, you want to leave all the liquid inside the pot and everything else in the bowl.
10. Crank up the heat to a maximum and let the liquid reduce, get some of your roux from the fridge (about a teaspoon) and add it to the liquid, stir constantly until you get a rich, thick and glossy sauce, then pour it over the lentils and meat to finish the dish.
11. Serve with some Greek yoghurt on the side.

(1) Browning the meet.

(2) Sauté the leeks.

(3) Take the meat back to the pot