Beef and Bean Casserole
I don’t have many cookery books as with the Internet and the ability to search for a recipe for what you have available, but I do have one;One-pot Cooking (“Australian Women’s Weekly”)
The great advantage is that all the recipes are cooked in one pot and hence there is less washing up.
Many of the recipes are gluten-free too. This one might not be to everyone’s taste, as it contains a lot of red meat. But then I generally only eat beef about one a month and it’s usually good lean steak.
Yesterday, I was looking for something to cook for supper with my son and his friend and when I got the book it fell open at this recipe for beef and bean casserole.
The ingredients are as follows and are enough for more.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 Kg of braising steak, cut into 2 cm. pieces. I was lazy and got Armed, the butcher, in the Waitrose at Upper Street to do this for me.
- 2 medium brown onions (300 g.) chopped finely. Again I was lazy and used the ready chopped ones from Waitrose.
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- ¼ cup (70 g.) tomato paste
- a large tin (400 g) of chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 medium potatoes (400 g), chopped coarsely
- a large tin (400 g) of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
The method was as follows.
- Heat oil in aarge saucepan and then cook the beef in batches until browned. My big saucepan allowed it to be done in one and after browning I put the meat aside on a plate.
- Add onion and garlic to pan, cook, stirring, until onion softens.
- Add spices, cook, stirring until fragrant. Add paste; cook, stirring for one minute.
- Return beef to pan with undrained tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and then simmer covered for one hour.
- Add potato to the pan and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the potato is tender.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Add beans to pan and stir until heated through.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped coriander and parsley.
My guests both liked it, although some of the potatoes could have done with a bit more cooking. Next time, I’ll think I’ll par-boil them first.
Shepherd’s Pie
This a low fat take on a classic English dish. Shepherd’s Pie was traditionally made with leftover meat–usually lamb or beef. This is a recipe that can be made ahead and frozen for later use. I have modified it slightly to use metric measurements and make it gluten-free.
It came from Fiona Haynes of About.com.
My version used the following ingredients.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 500 grams extra-lean minced beef
- 2 tbsp gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Waitrose organic tomato paste
- 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 250 ml, beef stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 kilo of King Edward or similar potatoes
- Milk and fat to mash the potatoes with
The method was as follows.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium-low heat. Saute onions and carrots until softened. Turn up heat to medium-high and add beef; cook until no longer pink. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, herbs and broth. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add peas, then simmer 5 minutes more.
Tip: If sauce seems a bit thin for your liking, add some cornflour or gluten-free flour and stir into beef mixture. - While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain water. Add milk and butter. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Season if you like.
- Pour sauce into an 11-inch by 7-inch baking dish and allow to cool slightly. Top with potato.
- Bake in the bottom of the top over of the AGA.
I actually cooked two, with one going in the freezer and the other shared with my son.
Organic Food?
There has been a report that says that organic food is no better than non-organic. I probably agree, but then I use it in most of my cooking.
So why?
Take my chilli con carne, that I cooked last night. I use lean organic beef as that is better for me because of its leanness. I also feel strongly that animals should be kept well and that some sort of mark like Organic, means that higher levels of husbandry are used. In fact, I think that near-organic beef is better, as farmers who grow quality beef say that the organic rules are not always to the animals best health and make the product too expensive.
Anyway, the chilli con carne was great!
Chilli Con Carne
This chilli con carne was pretty simple and came from the BBC.
These are the ingredients for 6-8. I halved it and made 3, of which I froze two.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1kg/2¼lb lean minced beef
- 250ml/9fl oz red wine
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 red chillies, thinly sliced, or 3-4 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 stick cinnamon
- good shake of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 beef stock cube
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 x 400g can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 large bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- wedges of lime, to serve
This is the method used.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.
- Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce and crumble in the stock cube. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.
- Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander. Cook for a further ten minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary. Serve with rice, guacamole, sour cream and a big green salad.
The original recipe gives a few tips as well.
The chilli is much tastier a day or two after it’s cooked because the flavours develop and the texture becomes richer. Simply leave to cool, stick in the fridge and gently heat before serving. If you’re eating the chilli on the day you prepared it, any leftovers can be frozen in individual portions in well-sealed sandwich bags, then reheated by boiling from frozen in a saucepan of water for about 15-20 minutes until steaming hot.
I just froze the other two portions.
The Anonymous Widower 