Reader recipe: Beef and barley casserole

The most special thing about this is that I don't have to think too much, be too precise and know that the slow cooker allows me to have dinner fairly sorted early in the day. The flavors and ingredients are usually on hand and it is so comforting, tasty and freezes well to revisit when time is short another day!

Ingredients

250 ml	Beef stock
1 tin	Chopped tomatoes
250 ml	Water
2 handfuls	Pearl barley
4 Tbsp	Olive oil
750 g	Beef chuck steak, cut into large cubes (Main)
2 Tbsp	Standard flour
1 sprinkle	Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 large	Brown onion, chopped
4 rashers	Streaky bacon, chopped
1 large	Red capsicum, chopped
2 large handfuls	Button mushrooms, Chopped
1 Tbsp	Butter
1 Tbsp	Brown sugar
2 Tbsp	Tomato paste
1 sprinkle	Dried chilli flakes
500 ml	Red wine
2 leaves	Bay leaves
2 tsp	Cornflour, Mixed with a little water

Directions

1. Turn on slow cooker to low & add beef stock, tinned tomatoes, water rinsed through tomato tin, barley & tomato paste
2. Toss cubed meat in seasoned flour. Heat 1-3 tbsp oil in heavy pan over med/high heat & brown meat (maybe in batches), add to slow cooker.
3. Heat remaining oil in same pan over med heat and saute onion & bacon. Add red pepper and mushrooms & saute for a few minutes. Add butter and brown sugar to glaze then add all these to slow cooker.
4. Put pan back on heat and add some red wine to deglaze pan. Add to slow cooker with enough red wine to taste. Add some water in need to cover ingredients. Sprinkle with chilli flakes and season with ground pepper.
5. Thicken with cornflour before serving.
6. Quantities are a bit of a guess and of course subject to what is on hand. I may use over-ripe tomatoes and the portion of meat is usually a tray with 2-3 large slices so not sure what weight is! Red wine is a guess too!