Jamie Olivers basic stew four ways

FOR EACH TYPE OF STEW YOU WILL NEED:

• 2 stalks celery
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• olive oil
• 1 heaped TBL all purpose flour
• 1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Then choose one of the following:

BEEF AND ALE (3 hours)[pictured here]

• 3 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1 pound diced stewing beef
• 2 cups brown ale, Guinness or stout

CHICKEN AND WHITE WINE (1 ½ hours)

• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 pound diced, boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can substitute breasts)
• 2 cups white wine

PORK AND CIDER (2 ½ hours)

• 3 sprigs of fresh sage
• 1 pound diced stewing pork, preferably free-range or organic
• 2 cups medium-dry hard cider

LAMB AND RED WINE (2 ½ hours)

• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 pound diced stewing lamb
• 2 cups red wine

Directions for all recipes:
1. If using the oven to cook your stew, preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Roughly chop celery. Peel and chop the onions. Peel the carrots, slice lengthways and roughly chop.   Put a dutch oven on a medium heat.  Put all the vegetables and chosen herb into the pan with 2 lugs of olive oil and fry for 10 minutes.  Add your meat and flour. Pour in the booze and canned tomatoes.
3. Give it a good stir, then season with a tsp. of sea salt (less if using table salt) and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, put the lid on, and either simmer slowly on your cooktop or cook in an oven for the times shown.
4. Remove the lid for the final half hour of simmering or cooking and add a splash of water if it looks a bit dry. When done, your meat should be tender and delicious. Remove any bay leaves or herb stalks before serving, and taste it to see if it needs a bit more salt and pepper