STEW TOMATOES RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. If using the oven to cook the stew, preheat it to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Put a large shallow ovenproof casserole pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.
  3. Trim the celery, wash the carrots, peel the onions, then roughly chop it all about the same size as your beef chunks, adding the veg to the pan as you go.
  4. Season the veg with sea salt and black pepper, and fry for 10 minutes, or until softened and starting to caramelise, stirring occasionally.
  5. Strip in the rosemary leaves, stir in the flour for 2 minutes, then pour in the booze and let it cook away.
  6. Pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of the spoon. Fill the tin with water, swirl around, and pour into the pan.
  7. Bring just to the boil, then stir in the meat, season, and cover. Either simmer slowly on the hob or place in the oven for 2 hours, or until the meat falls apart easily.
  8. Taste the stew and tweak the seasoning, if needed, then serve with rice or mashed potato, and some lovely veggies, or check out the topping ideas below.

Steps:

• 1. Cut the aubergine into large chunks. Peel and finely chop the onion, then peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick and chop the parsley leaves and finely chop the stalks.
  2. Rinse, soak and drain the capers and remove the olive stones. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Toast the almonds, if using, under a hot grill or in an oven until light brown.
  3. Get yourself a large pan, pour in a couple of lugs of olive oil, and place on the heat. Add your aubergine chunks and oregano, season with a little sea salt and toss around so the aubergine is evenly coated by the oil. Cook on a high heat for around 4 or 5 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then. (Depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook the aubergine in batches.)
  4. When the aubergines are nice and golden on each side, add the onion, garlic and parsley stalks, and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Feel free to add a little more oil to the pan if you feel it's getting too dry.
  5. Throw in the drained capers and the olives, and drizzle over the herb vinegar. When all the vinegar has evaporated, add the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 minutes or until tender.
  6. Taste before serving and season if you need to with salt, black pepper and a little more vinegar. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley leaves and the almonds if you like.