We may be on the downhill run towards spring and lighter meals, but there’s still plenty of cold weather left to savour some winter comfort food.
Red Wine Braised Beef Cheeks
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Perfect for a cold night in during the week. You can prepare this in advance so it is ready for you when you get home from work.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 x 175g beef cheeks, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 sprigs of thyme
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place a casserole over a moderately high heat and cook the beef cheeks in the oil for 3 minutes on each side or until nicely coloured. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan and cook for a minute or until lightly coloured.
Add the beef cheeks along with the thyme, wine and stock and bring to the boil. Cover and place in the oven for 2 to 2.5 hours or until the cheeks are very tender.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with cauliflower puree and a kale salad.
One-Pot Beef Casserole with Roasted Eggplant
This casserole takes very little time to prepare, but it looks and tastes amazing. Roasting the eggplant and capsicum while the casserole cooks, keeps the rich flavour and colour of the vegies intact.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1kg chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp plain flour
2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
1-2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
4 sprigs fresh thyme or small sprigs of rosemary or parsley
3 lady finger eggplants, halved lengthwise
1 large red capsicum, cut into large chunks
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut beef into 2.5cm to 3cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper, add 2 tbsp oil, and mix well. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches. Remove each batch and place in casserole dish.
Reduce heat in the pan, add a little oil, add the sliced onion, cook for 1–2 minutes, and stir occasionally.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the onion is coated. Gradually pour in stock and wine and add the tomato paste, stirring well. Add the herbs, stir until the mixture boils. Add to the casserole dish, stir to combine.
Cover the casserole dish, place in oven, and cook until the beef is very tender. Stir every 40 minutes or so, add water if needed to keep the ingredients just covered.
In the last 30 minutes cooking time roast eggplant slices and red capsicum in the oven as the casserole cooks. Gently stir them into the cooked casserole to serve.
Tips:
How to tell if your casserole is simmering gently enough? You’ll see small clusters of tiny bubbles rise to the surface as it cooks. Stir it occasionally and adjust the heat up or down as it cooks, if needed.
Beef casserole cuts and approximate cooking time: chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef — 2 to 2.5 hours; topside, round, blade — 1 to 1.5 hours.
Beef and Vegetable Casserole with Red Wine
Serves 4
Ingredients:
800g chuck steak, trimmed of fat and diced
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium brown onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into large pieces
200g mushrooms, quartered
300ml red wine
500ml salt-reduced beef stock
2 medium zucchni, cut into large pieces
To serve: lemon zest, chopped parsley and mashed potato
Method:
Place the beef in a bowl and toss in flour. Preheat oven to 170°C
Add 2 tsp of oil to a large casserole dish over high heat, add half the beef and cook until browned on both sides. Remove from casserole dish and repeat process with 2 tsp oil and remaining beef. Set aside.
Add the remaining oil and the onion, carrots and mushrooms to the casserole dish. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until lightly coloured. Add the red wine, beef stock and beef to the dish and bring to the boil.
Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Add the zucchini for the final 20 minutes of cooking time.
Serve with mashed potato, lemon zest and chopped parsley.