Stew

This is a dish that, for obscure reasons, is known in our house as 'stew of pieces'.

It's very, very, simple: diced stewing steak, onions and whatever vegetable matter you have on hand. This time it was just onions, celery and mushrooms; I also put in a splash of madeira and a chunk of duck stock from the freezer. No other liquid necessary. All day in a very low oven, or several hours on the stovetop over a very low flame (alternatively, it's the kind of dish that would be perfect for a slow cooker); the longer and slower it's cooked, the tenderer the meat will be. If necessary, boil uncovered for a few minutes at the end to reduce.

You can simply chuck everything in the pot and it'll come out just fine. Softening the veg in fat first is a step up, and browning the meat over a high heat is another, but neither refinement is essential.

Quite apart from its being cheap, nutritious and tasty, I rather like the feeling that this is the sort of thing people have been cooking and eating for millennia.