Beef stew with peas and soft polenta

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Beef stew meat150 g
• Peas100 g
• Polenta (cornmeal)55 g
• Tomato passata120 g
• Onion50 g
• Carrots50 g
• Celery30 g
• Beef broth200 ml
• Extra virgin olive oil10 g
• Bay leaves0.5 g
• Red wine60 ml
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperto taste

Contains: celery, sulphites,

Method

1. Peel the onion and carrot, wash the celery and chop everything finely; pat the meat dry with kitchen paper.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole over medium heat and soften the chopped vegetables for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
3. Turn the heat to high, add the beef and brown for 5 minutes, turning, until well browned on all sides.
4. Deglaze with the red wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, until the smell of alcohol has gone; add the tomato passata, the bay leaf and half the stock, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over low heat for 75 minutes, adding the remaining stock when the sauce dries out, until the meat falls apart with a fork.
5. Add the peas for the last 15 minutes and cook until tender.
6. Meanwhile bring about five times the polenta's weight of water to the boil in a small pan, salt it, pour in the polenta in a thin stream while whisking and cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes if it is quick-cook, until soft and creamy. Spoon it onto the plate, remove the bay leaf and serve the stew on top.