Beef Trinchado - Portuguese inspired South African stew

Prep the meat

1. Use a sharp knife to cut the steak into large, bite-sized chunks.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cubed meat with the Worcestershire sauce. Ensure every cube is coated by stirring the sauce through the meat.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to marinate.

Prep the liquid

1. Make the sauce by adding the beef stock, red wine, tomato paste and sugar to a jug or mixing bowl.

To make the Trinchado

1. In a medium-large, heavy-based pan, heat half the butter (15g) and half the oil (1 tbsp) over medium-high heat.Once the oil and butter are sizzling, batch-fry the cubed steak until browned on all sides. This is an important step as it adds flavour to the dish.
2. Set the beef aside in the same bowl it was marinated in.
3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the remaining butter (15g) and oil (1 tbsp).Once the butter and oil are hot, add the chopped onions and chillies. Fry until the onions are soft and translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Stir every once in a while to ensure it's not sticking to the pan.
4. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add the flour and stir it through the onions. Cook for 1 minute. Keep scraping the bottom of the pan during this step to avoid the flour from sticking too much.(The flour will stick a little bit and it's unavoidable, but don't worry, we're going to deglaze the pan in a minute.)
6. Add the sauce you combined earlier. Deglaze the pan by stirring and scraping the sticky bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. This 'residue' will melt into the sauce and add flavour.Turn the heat down to low and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes until it starts to thicken slightly.
7. Add the bay leaves.
8. Tip the meat into the pan along with any remaining liquid in the bowl.Stir the meat through the sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan tightly with a lid. With the heat still on low, simmer for 1.5 hours.Check the liquid level every 10-15 minutes or so and give it a quick stir. If it seems like the Trinchado may need more liquid, add another splash of red wine or water.
9. Taste for salt and add more if needed. The beef stock is already salty so you may not need more than ½ teaspoon salt.
10. Add the black pepper.
11. Add the cream. Stir and heat through for 1-2 minutes.If you feel you need more sauce at this point, you can add a touch more cream. If it's already looking saucy enough, add less cream than the recipe states.
12. Allow the Trinchado to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
13. Serve with chunky chips or fresh white bread rolls to mop up the delicious sauce.