On a blustery, cold, windy, wintery day like today is there anything better than a big warm casserole to end off the day?
There are so many beef casserole recipes out there, all with a few minor tweaks here and there - but the all important part of the dish is the beef that has has been simmered slowly until it is so tender it just falls apart. You see lots of recipes using red wine, but I had some Guinness lurking in the back of the cupboard that I wanted to use. I simply adapted a recipe that I found at Taste.com.au to utilise the Guinness.
Beef and Guinness Casserole with Parmesan Dumplings
adapted from Taste.com.au
Serves 6
1.5kg gravy beef, cut into cubes
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 rashers bacon, roughly chopped
500g mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbs plain flour
2 cups beef stock
1 cup Guinness
2 thyme sprigs
3 fresh bay leaves
50g butter
2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup milk
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. In batches, brown the beef until it is sealed on all sides. Remove to a plate, and keep warm.
Add the onion, bacon, mushrooms, and garlic, cook, stirring for 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the flour. Add the beef, beef stock, Guinness, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender and the meat is starting to fall apart.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
To make the dumplings, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Add the milk and mix well to bring all the ingredients together. Roll into approximately 20 small balls.
Spoon the meat in to a lightly greased casserole dish. Top with the dumplings, making sure to push the dumplings at least halfway down into the sauce.
Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lovely and golden, and the dumplings are cooked through.
Serve with a green vegetable, and you have a lovely warm, winter hug!!!!
Stay out of the wind today if you are in Sydney, and try and keep warm!!!!!
So Dear Readers what are you do to keep warm on cold winter's days. Do you snuggle up next to the fire, or do you go back to bed with a good book? Perhaps you get cooking, and warm the heart of the house up by baking?
