This is one of our favourites, dead easy to cook, not expensive, just takes a couple of slow hours in the oven. Great with rich, robust reds.
INGREDIENTS
One Kilo of chuck or blade steak
250g of speck or cooked pork neck or thick streaky bacon
4 -6 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
4-6 carrots
4-6 mini parsnips (or sweet potato if preferred)
Spring onion tails
Mushrooms (field or brown)
can of diced tomatoes
2 small tubs of tomato paste
300-500ml of OK red wine
300-500ml beef stock
Parsley
Olive oil, flower, seasoning, thyme, rosemary, chives, 3 bay leaves
HOW-TO
- Cut the steak into strips or pieces, dust in flour and throw in frypan. Toss over to brown the other side after a few minutes. Add plenty of seasoning. Add garlic and spring onions (whole). Add carrots and parsnips chopped (not too small). Add tinned tomatoes, wine and beef stock and bring to boil, then simmer. If the frypan isn’t big enough, add some of the liquid after you transfer to the casserole dish.
- Turn on oven, then transfer the food from frypan to casserole dish and put in at 175 degrees as usual. Add rest of wine and the beef stock, if not yet done. Stir thoroughly and let cook for about 1 hour
- Just before the hour is up, chop up the mushrooms, spring onion tails and speck (not too small for all). Add bay leaves and thyme (quite a bit, fresh is extra good) and rosemary. Stir, taste, adjust seasoning and let cook for another 45 minutes.
- Add finely chopped parsley and chives, stir and leave to cook another 15 minutes.
This dish is usually served with boiled potatoes but noodles or rice are just as nice. It’s also fine on its own since it has plenty of veggies in it.
Like all casseroles, it’s better after resting in the fridge for a day
Photo from www.themidnightcook.com