Slow Cooked Beef in Stout

In between dog duties and kid duties yesterday I managed to set myself up with a lovely warming stew to have once we all got in from our various after school activities.

Of course one of "The Darings" is down for the count with a broken arm - but the other one still needs to get to and from Rugby practice.  It's kind of like a convalescent hospital here at the moment - a child with a broken arm and the dog recuperating from a stroke - I think I might have to go and find myself a Florence Nightingale outfit to wear!!!!

This recipe was featured in the latest edition of Delicious Magazine, and is one of Matt Preston's.  It appealed to me as it took several hours to cook, so that meant I could start it, go to sport and then finish it off before the rest of the hungry hoards arrived home!

Slow Cooked Beef in Stout
Adapted from Delicious Magazine - August edition - Recipe by Matt Preston

Serves 6

1.2kg blade or chick steak, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
1/4 cup flour, seasoned
1/4 cup olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped*
4 garlic cloves, fined chopped*
250g bacon rashers, finely chopped*
2 tbs tomato paste
375ml Guinness
2 tbs concentrated TM vegetable stock **
2 cups water **
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1 tbs unsalted butter
400g small eschalots, peeled
4 carrots cut into chunks

* place the vegetables and the bacon in the TM bowl and put in closed lid position, press turbo 2-3 times until chopped to desired consistency.
** can substitute 2 cups beef stock

Garlic Paris Mash and Peas to serve

Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

Lightly dust the meat in the flour, shake off excess (reserving excess).

Heat 2 tbs of oil over medium high heat in a large flameproof casserole dish.  In batches, cook the beef, turning, for 3-4, minutes or until browned.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add remaining tablespoon of oil, add the celery, garlic and bacon.  Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes or until tender.  Return the beef to the pan and add the tomato paste and reserved flour (don't worry if you don't have any - I didn't).  Stir for 1 minute.  Add the stour, stock, bay leaf and prunes and stir to combine.  Make sure you get all those lovely crispy bits off the bottom of the pan - they add great flavour to the dish!!!  Use a spoon to scrape then gently into the mixture.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Heat the butter in a small frypan over medium heat.  Cook the eschalots, stirring for 3-4 minutes, or until/ the outside layer starts to soften.  Add the eschalots and carrots to the casserole, cover and return to the oven for a further 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.

Garlic Paris Mash
1.2 kg potatoes, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
250g milk
salt
30g butter

Place the potatoes and garlic in the TM bowl  Season with salt.  Add the milk.  Cook for 20 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.

Insert the butterfly.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the butter and mash for 20 seconds on speed 3.

Place in Thermoserver until ready to serve.

Now it might seem a weird thing to add prunes to a beef casserole, but let me tell you it added a lovely richness to the sauce.  It didn't make it sweet, and I think you would be hard pushed to identify them in there - but it did a lovely depth to the gravy.  Well worth trying next time you make a stew!!