the credit crunch dinner

this is the practical woman's meal.  it is a beef stew using one of the cheapest cuts of beef available at the butcher's at waitrose - ox cheek at £3.99 a kilo. it provides ample portions for 5 at just under £5.  

i love to make this because after the initial preparation - browning the meat, chopping the onions and garlic and halving the carrots and celery and throwing in whatever spices takes your fancy, you can leave it in the oven or slow cooker for hours.

tonight's stew included a generous few glugs of red wine, cinnamon, ground coriander and pepper and plenty of water to cover everything.  and then into the oven at 150C  for about 4-5 hours.  just before serving i prepared some couscous, chopped parsley and fresh coriander and served it with harissa paste on the side.
and to finish the meal we had some stilton on crackers.  if you look closely the bubbly is actually la rosca cava - at under £4.50 a bottle this is easily one of the best and cheapest alternative to the real thing.