Stout beef casserole and cottage pie rebrand

Having enjoyed the beef, mushroom, Guinness pies a few weeks ago, I thought I’d push the same idea into a lovely, warm serve of winter heartiness.

This is basically beef bourguignon, but with stout instead of red wine. Serve with creamy mashed potato, and roast broccoli and cauliflower - adding almond slivers is also good, but last night I forgot!

Unlike the pie version, I err on the side of big with the meat pieces. It’s almost like they are little steaks which you’re encouraged to slice and smear with the sauce and mash, rather than just spoon in.

Roast veggie tip: why par boil, when you can par zap? Many roast vegetables benefit from par boiling to soften the centre, so that the outside can be crisped. A couple of minutes in the microwave means less water, less flavour down the drain - and less time wasted. Just saying…

Don't forget the French onions!

For a regular casserole, you pop it covered into the oven for 3 hours. But I use the slow cooker for 8.

As a bachelor dad, I get the recipe to the first stage a night ahead. Then pop it in the fridge.

Next morning, into the slow cooker, and away I go to work. That way, after school when my kids come home, they open the door to that rich and homey smell. They might not be here as often as I’d like, but it’s their home, and their dad loves them. Food can say that.
Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg chuck steak 75g pancetta, roughly chopped 1 cup stout 1 cup beef stock 1 tbsp salt 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp butter 1 brown onion, roughly chopped 2 carrots, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbsp plain flour 3 bay leaves 8 eschalots, peeled 150g button mushrooms, sliced 2 sprigs thyme

Serve with buttery mashed potato and roast broccoli and cauliflower (with slivered almonds - if you remember... )

Method

1. Cut beef into 4–5 cm pieces.
2. Place the stout in a saucepan and reduce by a third over a medium-high heat, then add beef stock and bring to a boil.
3. In frying pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over a high heat. Season the beef with salt and fry in batches until caramelises as the edges and corners. Set the fried beef aside and add another 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter to the dish. When the butter is foaming, add the onion and carrot and reduce heat to medium-low . Cook for about 8 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for a further 4 minutes, then add flour , mix through and gently cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Gradually pour the hot stout and stock mixture over the onion and carrots, stirring to ensure no lumps form. Bring to a gentle boil. Return the beef to the pan with any resting juices and bay leaves. (Stage 1 complete) Cover and cook in oven for 2 ½ hours in oven, or 8 in slow cooker.
5. In a frying pan, heat the remaining oil and butter on a medium-high heat, add pancetta and cook until lightly coloured, about 4 minutes, then remove from the pan. Add the eschalots and cook until they deepen in colour (about 3–4 minutes), then remove. Finally, add the mushrooms and lightly sauté (about 4–5 minutes).
6. Add the pancetta, eschalots, mushrooms and thyme leaves to the braised beef. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve with buttery mashed potato, extra thyme and freshly ground pepper, and roast veggies.

Rebrand

Next day, pull out the leftovers from the fridge and cut the beef and veggies into small pieces. Scoop up all the sauce, and place everything into a pie pot.

Take the mash leftover and combine with 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of grated pecorino cheese.

For best results, as ever, let the whole lot come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 160º

Top the casserole pie filling with the mash mix, fluffing it up with a fork. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. If necessary, pump up the heat at the end to get the browny edges happening.