Slow Cooker Chimichurri Beef with Potatoes

Chimichurri paste

1. Add 1 chopped red onion, 1 bunch coriander, 1 bunch parsley, 1 bunch basil, 6 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 4 green chilies to a blender.
2. Pulse while slowly drizzling in olive oil until you get a spoonable, slightly chunky paste. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar if needed. Set aside.

Beef

1. Rub 1 heaped tsp dhania/jeera powder all over the 1 kg stewing beef.
2. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
3. Add 2 sliced onions, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp vinegar.
4. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft and lightly golden.
5. Halfway through, add the 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, and 1 tsp coriander seeds.
6. Let them toast with the onions. Remove everything from the pot and set it aside.
7. Turn the heat up a bit. Add the beef to the same pot with 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or light soya sauce.
8. Brown the meat in batches if needed, so it actually sears instead of steaming. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked, just nicely coloured.

Slow Cooker

1. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
2. Spoon over the 2 cups of chimichurri paste and kind of smear it around so everything gets coated.
3. Add the cooked onions, 3 to 4 quartered potatoes, and the 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper.
4. Pour over 1 cup of beef stock. It shouldn’t drown the meat, just sit around it.
5. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

Finish the dish

1. After 3 hours, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with a little water and stir it into the slow cooker to thicken the sauce slightly.
2. Add the mushrooms on top and gently press them in. Cook for another 1 hour until the mushrooms are tender, and the beef is soft enough to pull apart with a fork.
3. Taste the sauce at the end and adjust salt or a splash more vinegar if it needs a lift.