One of my favourite dishes to make and to eat. Easy and delicious.
Serves 5-6
600g of diced beef (use any cut you like, I prefer shin-cut for stews)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium size red onions, finely chopped
2-3 medium size garlic cloves, finely chopped
3-4 medium size carrots halved lengthwise and cut into medium size cubes
3-4 medium-size parsnips halved lengthwise and cut into medium size cubes
3-4 celery sticks, cut to small or medium size cubes
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp plain flour
sprig of thyme (or to taste)
1 glass of red wine (about 150ml or 200ml of dark beer)
500ml of beef stock
see salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 medium-size potatoes
half of medium-size celery root
100g butter or 1 stick
100ml milk
salt and black pepper
Quick tip: for creamier mash, add a dollop of Crème fraîche.
Preheat oven at 220C/425F/7 gas mark. Coat the meat in flour and leave on the side. Cut onions and garlic and place them in the casserole with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, butter and a pinch of sea salt on medium-high heat until soft, for about 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots and parsnips together with bay leaves until soft, for 10-15 minutes. Add the meat and sprigs of thyme, freshly ground black pepper. Add wine and cook everything for only a few minutes, then add stock or crushed cubes and add 500ml of water bringing everything to a gentle simmer. Cover (if you don’t have the lid, use tin foil) and place it in the oven for 2 hours.
About 30 minutes before your casserole is ready, prepare potato and celery mash. Peel potatoes and celery root and cut them into about 1cm cubes. Boil them in salted water and when they are soft and ready, drain and leave them to steam dry for a couple of minutes. Mash them with freshly ground black pepper, milk and butter. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
When the casserole is ready and out of the oven, leave it to sit for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve with a dollop or two of mash and sprinkle with fresh parsley or coriander.
Pour yourself a glass of favourite drink and dig in!
Biljana Hutchinson 