My easy to make beef casserole

[spikeyhead]

I'm still licking my lips having just eaten almost too much very tasty beef casserole. Here's the recipe.

1lb of cubed braising steak with all the major fat removed. The meat itself is best if marbled through with fat as this will help keep it moist during cooking.
A couple of large onions
A large carrot
half a green pepper
A teaspoon of marmite
some gravy granules.

Make some gravy in a casserole dish.
Add in the rest of the ingredients, top up with boiling water and fit a tight fitting lid, or cover with foil.
Put it in a preheated oven on gas mark 6 for half an hour then turn the oven down to gas mark four for a further three and a half hours.

Serve with taters and dumplings.

[Firkin Dogbolter]

Always have to add some Horseradish into dumplings if they will be served with Beef.

[dickymint]

spikeyhead said:

Serve with taters and dumplings.

Sounds like you cook your dumplings separate? If so try this. Sliced potato on top. Then remove most of the taters when they are golden/brown put them on a plate and back in the oven. Now put your dumplings in the stew for the last twenty minutes. Best of both worlds and

[grumbledoak]

Dumplings in the stew to take on the liquid and go brown on top.

I cannot believe you didn't brown the beef. Apart from that bit of sacrilege, it sounds good.

[dickymint]

grumbledoak said:

Dumplings in the stew to take on the liquid and go brown on top.

I cannot believe you didn't brown the beef. Apart from that bit of sacrilege, it sounds good.

Interesting point about searing meat. Most people including top chefs will tell you it seals in the flavour. However it has been proved that this does not happen at all. It may concentrate a bit more flavour on the surface and also change the texture. Here's a link that tries to explain it..........

http://www.ochef.com/166.htm

and.......

http://www.ochef.com/782.htm

PS. I always brown off the meat first because that's what my Granny always did

[spikeyhead]

grumbledoak said:

Dumplings in the stew to take on the liquid and go brown on top.

I cannot believe you didn't brown the beef. Apart from that bit of sacrilege, it sounds good.

That creates more washing up, which in my view makes it more effort. I'll give it a try the next time I cook it and see what happens.

I also cook the dumplings in the stew, with a little of the gravy poured over the top before putting it back into the oven once I've added them.

[escargot]

dickymint said:

grumbledoak said:

Dumplings in the stew to take on the liquid and go brown on top.

I cannot believe you didn't brown the beef. Apart from that bit of sacrilege, it sounds good.

Interesting point about searing meat. Most people including top chefs will tell you it seals in the flavour. However it has been proved that this does not happen at all. It may concentrate a bit more flavour on the surface and also change the texture. Here's a link that tries to explain it..........

http://www.ochef.com/166.htm

and.......

http://www.ochef.com/782.htm

PS. I always brown off the meat first because that's what my Granny always did

Yuppers, it certainly adds flavour on the surface but that's about it. It's still worth doing in my opinion. Also, you need to lightly flour the meat first so that the sauce thickens a little