Description
This hearty braised beef casserole is perfect for a comforting family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 kg braising beef or casserole beef (chopped into bitesize chunks)
- 3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour (you can use gluten-free plain flour if required)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large onion (peeled and chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)
- 4 tbsp brandy or whisky
- 1 litre beef stock (3 stock cubes plus water is fine, or use homemade stock or bouillon for gluten-free)
- 300 g chestnut mushrooms (thickly sliced)
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA) mixed with 3 tbsp cold water, to make a slurry (optional)
- 120 ml double (heavy) cream
- small bunch fresh parsley roughly chopped
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F (fan).
- Heat the oil in a large casserole pan over a high heat.
- Place the chopped beef in a bowl and sprinkle on the flour, salt and pepper. Toss everything together, then add the beef to the casserole pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning regularly until browned all over.
- Once the meat is browned, turn down the heat to medium and add the onion. Continue to cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly until the onion starts to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato puree, cook for a further minute, then add the brandy/whisky, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, and mushrooms.
- Stir everything together, being sure to scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil, stir again then place a lid on the pan and place the pan in the oven to cook for 3 hours, until the beef is tender.
- Check a few times during the last hour of cooking to ensure the casserole doesn’t cook dry. Add a good splash of boiling water or stock if it starts to look too dry.
- Once the meat is tender, remove from the oven. If you’d like to thicken the sauce a little, stir in the cornflour slurry.
- Add the cream and stir, then top with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkling of black pepper.
- Serve with mashed potato and green veg such as broccoli, green beans, and kale.
Notes
- This casserole can be cooked in advance and reheated for serving.
- For a gluten-free option, ensure you use gluten-free flour and stock.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 45g
- Cholesterol: 150mg