Basic Beef Casserole

Stews are made from tougher cuts of meat and cooked for at least more than one hour to tenderise the meat. Meat tenderizers can be used to help speed up the tendering process. Wherever, available the leaf of the jackfruit tree can be added to the stew as a tenderizer. A more scientific method I learn from a cousin is to put 2 steel tablespoons into the pot. The reason being the metal spoon increases the temperature of the liquid and hence helps hasten the cooking. Sounds logical but I have never tried it.

Today I am going to post the basic beef casserole recipe. Casseroles are different from stews as everything that needs cooking is placed in a dish (called the casserole) and cooked in the oven. No stirring is required,  only a low to medium oven temperature. However, it is similar to stewing in the sense that it needs a longer time to cook.

BASIC BEEF CASSEROLE

1 1/2   lbs  (or 700g) stewing beef steak
a scoop of seasoned flour, or flour mixed with a soup base
1 tablespoon butter
100g onions, skinned and chopped
210ml  stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
bouquet garni.( You can use kaffir lime leaf or curry leaves as alternatives to bouquet garni.)

(makes 1 casserole, serves 4)

TO MAKE:

Cut the meat into 1 cm to 1 1/2 cm cubes, and toss into seasoned flour.Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the onions until beginning to brown. Remove from the pan, draining well. Fry the meat a little at a time until brown all over. Place the meat  and  and oniuons in a  casserole. Sprinkle the remaining flour into the fat left in the pan, stir in the stock and bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, add bouquet garni and pour over the meat. Cover and cook in the oven at 190 degrees C for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

To make the casserole a wholesome meal, you may add potatoes and root vegetables such as carrots and radish.

The casserole is best eaten with hard crust bread, or unleavened bread such as chapatti or parathas.