There are certain recipes on Gather and Graze that are posted primarily as a guide for my two teenage boys, who will one day leave the nest and find a need to not only cook for themselves, but perhaps for friends, or a loved one and even further down the track possibly children of their own. This is one of those recipes…
Many of you will have your own delicious version of this casserole/stew that you’ve been making for years and are extremely happy with. However, if that happens to not be the case, I hope this proves to be a useful recipe. It’s hearty and flavourful, though not too heavy (with the omission of potato and the addition of fresh fennel). It’s cooked slowly and extremely gently, to ensure the tenderest of meat. Lovely served with a crusty French baguette to mop up all the sauce/gravy!
The key to beautiful, tender meat (apart from buying the right cut) is really just to make sure that the casserole bubbles away very gently… if it simmers vigorously (or worse still, comes to a boil!), you’re much more likely to end up with chewy, little bricks of meat. A heartbreaking discovery to make, after a 3 hour cook!
Beef and Red Wine Casserole | Gather and Graze
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1kg (2lb 3oz) Stewing Beef (cut into 3cm cubes) – I use Chuck Steak
- 1 large Brown Onion (chopped)
- 2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
- 20g (2 Tbsp) Plain Flour
- 300ml (1¼ Cups) Red Wine – I used an Australian Shiraz
- 300ml (1¼ Cups) Good Quality Beef Stock
- 100ml (7 Tbsp) Tomato Passata
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 medium Carrots (chopped)
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 medium Leek (sliced)
- 1 medium Fennel Bulb (sliced)
- Handful Flat-Leaf Parsley (chopped)
- Fresh Bread (to serve… and mop up the sauce)
Instructions
On the stove-top, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large casserole pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 lots (so as not to crowd the pan), setting aside each batch to a bowl once browned.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the extra tablespoon of oil to the pot. Sauté the onion with a pinch of salt for 8-10 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and continue cooking for another minute or two.
Transfer the beef back into the pot, adding in the flour and stir for a minute or two to coat, taking care that the flour doesn’t overcook/burn on the base of the pot.
Now pour in the red wine and bring back up to a very slow simmer. Allow to bubble for a few minutes, before adding in the beef stock, tomato passata, bay leaves and chopped carrots. Season with salt and black pepper.
Place the lid on the casserole pot and allow to simmer very, very gently for 3 hours, adding in the sliced leek and fennel for the final hour of cooking.
Remove the pot from the heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes or so, before sprinkling with the flat-leaf parsley. Serve with some fresh, crusty bread to mop up the sauce and a glass of gutsy red wine.
Notes:
This casserole is fabulous cooked the day before, chilled in the fridge overnight and then very gently re-heated for dinner. Perfect for those busy days when it’s nice to know that dinner is already sorted!
Gather & Graze 
A lot of my dinners are one the blog to inspire the kids Margot, so I can definitely relate! And you’ve reminded me it’s time we had a beef stew this winter – on my list, along with pea and ham soup and corned beef 🙂
Oh that sounds fabulous Beck! We had our first serving of Lamb Shanks last night… but way too much meat on those shanks… next time I think I’ll buy less and just pull the meat apart and serve with the sauce. Although it will lose the Wow Factor by doing so… Hope you have a great week!
I like your addition of fennel, thanks for the inspiration.
You’re welcome Karen. I often find the addition of potato too heavy, especially when you’ve got bread on the side for mopping up the sauce, so the fennel works perfectly.
Sounds like a great recipe, Margot, for an old favorite. Like Stefan above,, the addition of fennel caught my eye. I need to give this a try next time I’m in the mood for a bowl of comfort. Thanks for sharing.
Ahh John, you’ve just come through a long winter… I’ll definitely forgive you for filing this one away for another 6 months or so. 😉
Looks like you had a fantastic trip across to Italy. Loved seeing the photos you posted on Instagram and savouring all the amazing food, vicariously through you. Grazie mille!
A well deserved and worthy reward for having to endure a long cold winter and my very favourite way to eat beef. Your boys will be glad it’s written down so they can make this dish “just like Mum”
There’s not too much that goes on the blog that doesn’t get approval from the whole family beforehand, so I’m hoping they’ll be pleased that it’s all there in writing sometime down the track. 🙂 Not particularly looking forward to the loooong coooold winter that’s ahead of us, though there are definitely aspects of it to enjoy. Comfort food, with lovely bottles of red wine to accompany… life’s not all that bad! xx
I have to say I miss the cold, for open fires, red wine, hat scarves and gloves
Cooking with our kids and leaving a legacy of recipes is a lovely gift indeed. The casserole looks delish. 😊
Cheers Lisa! I’d still like to see them get a little more active in the kitchen (like yours are), so definitely need to get cracking on that!
That looks great. I like the addition of fennel. You are so right about the low temperature. It gets even better after 24 hours at 74C (165F), but that is much easier with sous-vide equipment.
Thanks Stefan… I can just imagine how melt-in-the-mouth tender the meat would be if I could cook it that low and slow! Perhaps I need to off-load a stack of my other kitchen equipment, to make room for a sous-vide machine and all that goes with it. Food for thought… 😉
I really look forward to the cooler weather for beautiful comfort food such as this one. Plus the addition of fennel is very creative. A dish my family will be eating now that it is cooler. Thank you for sharing 8)
Such a kind comment Merryn, thanks so much! The trees here in Canberra may still be showing gorgeous autumn colours, but the winter chill has definitely set in… so it’s hearty winter fare for the next 4 months or so for us. 🙂