Baby it's cold outside! Time to warm up inside! Spanish beef stew? Why not?

This morning I was busy blogging about the theatre reviewing side of my life  when I realised that I had not eaten much save a bowl of cornflakes and several cups of tea and three chocolate digestives. It was 2pm so I high tailed it to my local butchers and greengrocers to grab some casserole steak and veg for a stew. Then I decided to hot things up and invent a Spanish style stew by adding chorizo, paprika and butter beans to a normal stew mix. Soufie the cat enjoyed a few raw beef slithers too.

I tossed the now cubed beef in plain flour and browned it off in a frying pan and later in the cooking added some sliced red onion that made me sneeze a lot. Then I added the sliced chorizo and boiled the prepared carrots and new potatoes.

Whilst the meat was cooking I added some dried paprika and black pepper and stirred it into the frying meat and onions. The carrots and potatoes were now well under way and I realised that I needed some fresh coriander and nipped to the greengrocer on the High Street. I am lucky that I live so close to the main shops in my village and I am familiar with their opening hours. The butchers is looking particularly festive with his window display investment. From the greengrocers I purchased a bunch of fresh coriander and 60p worth of diddy cherry tomatoes to throw into the dish.

                    
                        Me returning from the greengrocers with my fresh herbs and tomatoes.

 

                                                  Fresh coriander and cherry tomatoes.

To try and thicken up the Spanish stew I added a little cornflower. Maybe I didn't add enough as all it seemed to do was make the gravy a slighter whiter colour! Oh well, it tasted nice enough anyway and my neighbour Mick enjoyed a bowl full too with some fresh bread when he came home from work.