One does not always have to buy the most expensive pieces of meat, to make a delicious and tasty dish. Cheaper meat cuts are often more fragrant and tasty, if it is treated right.
I realize most cooks do not have time during the week to cook meat for a couple of hours, so do these slow cooking dishes over weekends. Most casseroles get tastier if it was made a day or two in advance and then re-heated. Cook some casseroles over the weekend and place in the fridge. Re-heat during the week for a super quick and tasty dish. (Be sure that you cool the dish down before transferring to the fridge and use within 2 to 3 days.)
Stewing beef is delicious when cooked long and slow as part of a casserole or soup. My mother made the greatest stews with stewing beef; mostly with potatoes and cabbage added to the stew.
This smokey beef casserole is comfort food at its best. It takes a couple of hours in the oven, but you will have a delicious fragrant dish in the end. Serve the casserole with rice, potato mash or some crusty bread. If you are on the LCHF diet (as everyone seems to be nowadays), serve the casserole with sweet potato mash or cauliflower rice.
You can omit the chorizo, to save on costs or replace it with bacon. It does however add a delicious intense smokey flavour to the dish.
- 1kg stewing beef pieces (on the bone)
- 45ml olive oil
- 15ml butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 garlic bulbs, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 250g chorizo, sliced
- 60ml dry red wine vinegar
- 500ml beef stock
- 1 x 410g whole peeled tomatoes
- 30ml tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 15ml smoked paprika
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 125ml chopped fresh parsley
- salt and black pepper
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based pot and fry the beef, in batches, on all sides until brown. Remove from the pan.
- In the same pan sauté the chopped onions, until soft and fragrant.
- Add the garlic, carrots and chorizo and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and cook until evaporated.
- Add the beef stock, tomato, tomato paste, bay leaves, paprika, thyme sprigs and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover the casserole with a double layer of foil and then the lid.
- Cook in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the thyme sprigs and any bones that separated from the meat and serve hot.
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