GULASH FOR ADULTS AND BEEF STEW FOR CHILDREN

I love this dish, it is so wintery and smells so good... I always make the gulash for us and the"plain"version for the kids, as this is a very spicy dish. It is tipical of Northern Italy.
1 Kg of beef is quite a lot, but it was perfect for 4 adults and 2 kids (considering that we also had a starter).

1Kg of diced beef  (better if it is Aberdeen Angus)
Half a onion, half a carrot and half a celery stick
250 gr Tomato passata
2 or 3 bay leaves
Salt
Pepper
2 chopped potatoes
3 cups of stock
For the gulash add:

A handful of cumin seeds (quantity depends on how much you like them, but they give the special flavour to the dish)
A sprinkle of paprika
A sprinkle of chilly flakes

Heat a heavy-based casserole dish and add the olive oil and chopped onion, carrot and celery. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until they are soft and quite dark. In the meantime flour the beef, then put it in the pan. Season with salt and pepper (don't use it if it is for the kids), then, when the meat is brown, add the passata and the bay leaves. When boiling, cover with stock, then reduce to a low simmer and cover with a lid.
After about an hour, add to the casserole the chopped potatoes and stir well. There should be just enough liquid to almost cover the ingredients, you may need to add a little more stock. Take the lid off and allow to simmer away for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick.

For the gulash the procedure is exactly the same; you just have to add the cumin seeds, the paprika and the chilly to the frying vegetables at the beginning, before cooking the meat.