Core Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Warm and comforting rather than gourmet

Serves: 4 - 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 400g beef, cubed to 2-3cm
• 5 x 80g odd potatoes, halved (or equivalent cocktail 40g potatoes, or enormous potatoes quartered)
• 3 carrots, cut to 2-3cm chunks
• 1/2 a sweet potato (about 180-200g)
• 3 carrots, cut to 2-3cm chunks
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 3 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 100ml red wine (not Core, but 1 pt between 4-6 serves)
• 4 beef stock cubes
• 2 cups water
• 2 TB cornflour
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp peppercorns (for mild flavour - pick out)
• 2 tsp mixed herbs

Method:

Put potatoes in base of slow cooker, followed by meat, onions, sweet potatoes, carrots and barley Add wine, herbs, garlic.
Mix the cornflour with a little of the water to make a paste and add
Dissolve the stock cubes in rest of the water and add (fluid line should be a little below the carrots - maybe 2cm)
Put on auto setting (high for 4 hours, then switches to low) all day for tender, fall apart stew (or high for 5+ hours)

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 22 pts, or 5.5 pts each for 4 serves, or 3.5 for 6 serves