Beef Bourguinon

There is nothing better than a Friday night in during Autumn. I got home from work, made a cup of tea, put the PJs on and threw my prepared tea into the oven. Within a few hours, my house was full of lovely aromas including apple Yankee Candles and the various Autumn scented air fresheners. Heaven.

Now, I am curled up with the dog, and my husband is out so I can just enjoy rubbish TV and a glass of wine. Perfect night to me!

Ingredients:

500g stewing steak, diced as preferred

200g bacon, cut into cubes

8 shallots, peeled

4 carrots, cut into chunks

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp tomato purée

450ml rich beef stock (I like the Knorr stock pots)

100ml red wine

200g button mushrooms

Instructions:

1. In a casserole dish (or in a pan if you want to cook in the slow cooker), heat some Fry Light and brown the beef in batches. It's important not to over-crowd the dish - well-browned meat will have an intensified flavour. Remove the beef and keep on a plate. Repeat as necessary.

2. Fry the bacon and shallots in the same pan, until the bacon is cooked through. Add the beef back to the pan (or place all in the slow cooker and use from now on).

3. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and tomato purée to the meat mixture. Add the red wine and reduce the liquid. Give the dish a good stir, releasing any flavours on the bottom of the dish. 

4. Make up the beef stock as directed, add to the casserole dish and bring to the boil. (Tip: I actually did these steps this morning and then left it ready to put in the oven tonight.)

5. Place the casserole dish in the oven and cook on 160 for 2 hours (or in the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours).

6. Add the mushrooms and stir through. Return to the oven for 30 minutes. 

7. When done, stir well, before serving with accompaniments of your choice (I went for herb roasted potatoes).

 

(I won't lie - my photo is me pretending I didn't have a mush bigger portion after!!) 

Cottage Pie

As ever, this is not really my own recipe but inspired. This is a recipe from James Martin on BBC Good Food which I have adapted somewhat to suit our tastes. It's the first time I've made a more traditional cottage pie as in the past I've always used a chilli con carne base (not that this is massively different) but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to cook it again. I do have some of the base left over which is going in the freezer ready to make another.
This isn't the greatest picture in the world as I didn't take one after cooking but just trust me on how good this tastes!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion
1 large carrot (or 2 medium)
1 clove garlic
500g minced beef
400g tinned tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
500ml beef stock (I used Knorr's rich beef stock)
50g frozen peas
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
Mixed herbs
1kg potatoes
A knob of butter
A dash of milk
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:
1. Finely chop the onion and carrot. Cook in a large saucepan for 4 minutes.

2. Crush the garlic and add to the onion and carrot, and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the minced beef to the saucepan. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring regularly until brown.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, 300ml of the beef stock, a pinch of mixed herbs and the Worcester sauce. Bring to the boil before turning down to a middle heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cover the saucepan and cook the base for about 35-40 minutes stirring regularly to not let it catch on the bottom. You want the liquid to reduce but do not allow it to dry out.

6. Whilst the base is cooking, dice the potatoes and boil for approximately 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are done (prick them with a knife to check the middles are soft), drain them and put them back in the saucepan. Put the saucepan on the hob for 30 seconds to cook off any excess liquid. Add the butter (2-3 tbsp), a dash of milk (don't add too much as this makes the mash lumpy) and the horseradish before mashing. Season with pepper and salt to taste.

7. When both the base and topping are ready, stir the frozen peas through the mince mixture and then layer in an ovenproof dish. Put in the oven at 200C and cook for 30 minutes.

8. Use the remaining stock (200ml) to prepare a gravy. Serve immediately with your selection of vegetables.