French Beef Casserole
Some recipes stop you in your tracks. This one did exactly that thirty years ago at a dinner at a colleague’s home in the Netherlands, where she carried a casserole dish to the table and the conversation stopped mid-sentence. Then came the first bite and my tastebuds were completely taken by surprise.
French in origin but unexpected in every way. Paprika, cinnamon, and beef so slow cooked it falls apart at the touch of a fork. I begged for the recipe before I had even finished eating, and I have been making it ever since.
Thirty years on, it still earns its place on the table every single time.
4
servings30
minutes3
minutesIngredients
unsalted butter/olive oil
salt/pepper
600 gr chuck beef
1 large onion cut in rings
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bayleaf
1 tsp cinnamon
200 ml white wine
200 ml beef stock
250 gr mushrooms
200-250 ml double cream
Directions
- Add 30 grams of butter and 1 Tablespoon of olive in casserole dish. Add salt and pepper to the chuck beef. Brown in batches. Try not to move it around too much. Take meat out of the pan, add onion, fry for 5 minutes till soft.
- Add: garlic, chopped tomatoes, cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, bayleaf, cinnamon, white wine, beef stock. Bring to boil and put on the lowest setting on your stove for 3 hours.
- After 2.5 hours cut the mushrooms in slices and fry in a bit of oil or butter till brown. Add to the casserole dish.
- After 3 hours take the lid of the dish, increase the heat and reduce the liquid to a third before adding the double cream. Heat through, add more seasoning if needed and enjoy.
