Beef and lentil stew

This recipe is a variation on the Lamb and Lentil Stew that I shared many moons ago!  I made a few changes to the original recipe, so I'll give you the update here. 

Beef and Lentil Stew

Olive oil
1 lb stew beef
Flour
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
2 T fresh ginger, grated
1-2 T curry paste, or your favorite mix of Indian spices (optional, my mixture is here)
2 c beef stock
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 c lentils, pre-soaked
10 oz spinach
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red hot pepper, chopped

Pre-soak the lentils, 2 c lentils in 4 c water. Drain before using. Brown the beef in oil in a dutch oven, sprinkling with flour. Remove meat and set aside. Saute the onions, garlic, and ginger. Add the curry paste or spice mixture of choice and heat through. Add a small amount of stock and scrape up all the browned bits. Add the rest of the stock, the tomatoes, and the beef, and simmer for 2 hours. Add the lentils and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. [Note - some varieties of lentils cook faster than others.] Add the spinach and peppers, and cook until peppers are tender, about 10 minutes.