WINTER FOOD RECIPIES, It's cold and or shitty and dark a lot... EAT!!! NOM&# Options

[Aki]

Beer Braised Beef Casserole... the best you'll ever taste



The following dish should be cooked with caution, Orgies may ensue... Serves 8 YOU WHORES!!!
(can be frozen once cooked and reheated in a pan with a dash of water if defrosted overnight on the kitchen work top).

1 Tablespoon of cooking oil of your choice (I prefer groundnut as its flavourless pretty much BUT IT IS MADE FROM NUTS).

250g Smoked (if possible) Lardon's (that's chunky diced bacon if you didn't know).

4 Onions chopped or diced.

2 Teaspoons of Allspice/Pimento

2 Teaspoons of Dried Thyme

1.5kg of Beef diced into approximately 4-5cm cubes for casserole (Shin is the finest you can get for this recipe but any braising steak will do), and get it from a real butchers! (if you skimp here you wont get any action).

50g Plain Flour

750ml of Leffe Brown Belgium Beer

4 Teaspoons of Wholegrain mustard.

3 Tablespoons of Dark or Light Brown Sugar.

625ml of Beef Stock (1 Knorr Beef cube in a jug of 625ml boiling water is acceptable)

4 Dried Bay Leaves.

1 Teaspoon of salt (optional really)

A good grinding of fresh Black Pepper.



Ready?



1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

2. Use a large heavy-bottomed oven proof casserole and put it on the hob and heat the oil over a medium high heat. Add the Lardons and cook until they begin to crisp (5-10 min), stirring all the while.

3. Add the chopped onions and mix into the bacon. Turn the heat down low and cook for 10 min, still stirring occasionally.

4. Once the onions have softened stir in the allspice and thyme then chuck in the beef, making sure to stir and turn the beef well so it too gets coated in the spices.

5. Shake in the flour and mix it as best as you can (I find a little at a time works better because if it all goes in at once it clumps).

6. Pour in the stock. Add the mustard and sugar. Give a good stir. Now add the beer slowly and being careful not to let it froth and spill over the casserole (if you can't fit it all in now don't panic just top it up after an hour or so of being in the oven).

7. Bring to the boil (this may take a while but keep an eye on it).

8. Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper then another good stir. Clamp on the lid and place in the oven @ the 150 degrees for 3 hours, removing checking and stirring on the hour for the first 2 and topping up the beer if you couldn't fit it in. Then checking more regularly in the last hour just to make sure the heat isn't sticking it to the pan.

Optional : if you like mushrooms why not quarter 250g of them and add to the casserole for the final hour, this will also bulk up the portions to serve 10-12.

9. SERVE



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