I need a recipe for a superb beef casserole

[Dancergirl]

I am making beef casserole for 8 people, need a brilliant recipe please. I have the option of doing it in my slow cooker but it always turns out a bit liquidy. Or could use the oven or even the hob.

What veg shall I put in? Shall I do a brown ale/beef stock combo? How can I get the sauce nice and thick?

This is how I do beef in beer

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/beef-in-beer.html

Here are some threads that may help :)

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/2221840-Right-I-need-your-best-beef-stew-recipe

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/2477172-please-may-i-have-your-best-beef-stew-recipes

Thanks, that's really helpful

Jamie Oliver's beef with Guinness with cheddar is epic.

He uses it for a pie filling but it's a fantastic stew too - everyone I've served it to asked for the recipe

Really, FishOn I thought it was so horrible we actually threw it away and just ate the accompaniments.

I always go simple. Buy beef skirt from the butchers, brown and then add a couple of tablespoons of plain flour, cook for a couple of mins then add a bottle of ale, beef stock, a bouquet garni and about 6 bay leaves. The essential ingredient is about 4-5 squares of really dark 70% chocolate about 10 minutes before serving up.

Oh and cook long and slow. No set time probably about 3 hours at 150 degrees.

This recipe is probably the best beef casserole I've done. I think it's the lemon zest/rosemary sprinkle on the top at the end. Really delicious.

I don't really do a recipe, not with weights and exact measures, but this works...

Allow about 4 oz beef per person. 2-3 shallots per person, trimmed and peeled, halved if they're those big eschallion ones. One large carrot per person, cleaned, trimmed, cut into chunks. Half a stick of celery per person, trimmed and cut into similar size chunks. Bayleaves. Thyme. Sage. Tomato puree. Veg oil, salt and pepper. Flour. El Vino Rouge Collapso.

Fill kettle and put it on. Pour a glass of wine out.

Heat some oil in a large lidded cast iron casserole. Drink some of the wine.

Dust chunks of beef in flour seasoned with pepper and seal in bottom of casserole. Remove and set aside (I usually put it in the upturned lid of the casserole, balanced on an unused gas trivet at the back of the hob). Top up oil if necessary and sweat the veg a bit, maybe five minutes.

Drink some more of the wine.

Stir in some flour, I usually use what's left in the bottom of the plastic bag I used for the dusting. When the flour has stuck nicely to all the veg, pour in a bit of the hot water from the kettle. Stir it all about. Add the beef chunks. Add several squirts of tomato puree.

Top up the glass of wine. Add it into the casserole. Add a couple of bay leaves, tsp sage, tsp thyme. Add more hot water until top of meat is covered. Stir it all up.

Refill glass with wine.

Stuff casserole in oven at about 150 fan/170 normal/gas mark 4.

Cook for at least 2 hours.

Finish the bottle of wine...

Serve with green veg, potatoes and dumplings.

The recipe on the packet with Atora suet works beautifully.

I used to use beef stock cubes but now no longer bother, it seems nicer without them, I just upped the quantity of herbs and wine.

I also tend not to put any salt in at all, people can choose it for themselves at the table. In fact the only things I do salt during cooking these days are carbs - rice, potatoes, dumplings, breads and pasta.

I made Nigella's beef shin www.nigella.com/recipes/carbonnade-a-la-flamande recipe last weekend and it was gorgeous. Melty meat, gorgeous sauce. Very slow-cooked

I think I may have mentioned this before, but if at the end of cooking you have too much liquid, remove the meat and reduce the liquid til it's dark and glossy. This concentrates the flavours brilliantly and gives a lovely thick sauce.

Alpaca, our 'recipe' is similar to yours, except that we don't put sage in and we add a spoonful of redcurrant jelly.

You've just reminded me how good this one is. That's tomorrow's dinner sorted [yum]

This always turns out brilliantly and I'm a rubbish cook: www.laurengemmell.com/slow-cooked-beef-bourguignon/1860/

Thanks all, the beef is in the slow cooker I sort of did a mix of the recipes but I'm using red wine instead of beer as suggested by imnot.

I am doing with it new potatoes, French beans and carrot/swede mash.

How did it turn out in the end Dancergirl?

Delicious! Sauce was a bit more watery than I would have liked - I did reduce it in a pan but not for long enough. Everyone seemed to like it though!