Tuesday the 5th December 2023 - roaminoz gets the red carpet treatment!, page-35

Hi @zero2a$mill

Like the best recipes, there is flexibility in this one.

I usually cook it in large batches to freeze into meal size portions and to give to family (busy children with young families, my Mum) starting with 1.5-2kg of Chuck steak cut into 1” cubes or a bit smaller.

I used to brown the meat and sauté vegetables before piling into a casserole dish, but result wise that is essentially wasted effort when you intend to slow cook for 3-4 hours.

You need to leave out the onions if cooking for Dooley and you or cook in two batches, one without onion for Dooley.

Dice 3 big carrots, 2 good sized parsnips, 3-4 big stalks of celery, 1-2 brown onions and as an option halve about 8-10 baby potatoes.

Cover the bottom of a large covered casserole dish with a layer of mixed vegetables, pour on about 300ml of passata, throw in the cubed, floured meat and cover with another 300ml of passata, top with the rest of the vegetables and cover with another 200-300ml of passata … season to taste with salt and black pepper progressively during the cook … add enough stock (I use vegetable) so that you can just see liquid below the top of the vegetables.

Cook covered at 150 deg C for 2 hours … uncover, stir, taste the liquid and add passata/stock if needed and seasoning to taste if needed … return to oven and cook covered at 180 deg C for 1-1.25 hrs … for the final 0.75 hr, remove the cover and every 15-20 mins stir the darkening top into to the casserole to get a lovely rich darkened gravy (without this step the colour can look insipid.

Usually ends up being <$5 per serve.

Serving ideas:

1. With a sides of steamed greens (beans n broccolini) and/or rice
2. Use as pie filling (simply topped with a layer of pastry … with or without a precooked lower pastry layer
3. Top with mash for a rich shepherd’s pie
4. Serve on toast (a great breaky or scratch Sun night dinner)

Bon appertit.

Let me know what Dooley says.

8))
Dex