Angela Day
Meat cooked slowly in the oven is meltingly tender and delicious. Slow cooking meat lends itself to using more flavourful tougher cuts that require moist heat and a long cooking time to soften the connective tissue.
Cooking casseroles in the oven requires little effort because, once in the oven, you can forget about them for a couple of hours. Cooked at low temperatures, around 160°C, the meat will soften beautifully and the flavours will intensify.
Adding ingredients like onions, carrots, celery, garlic and wine will complement the flavours. Meat on the bone is always more tasty and even if the recipe requires cubing the meat and removing it from the bones, I always add the bones to the pot for the cooking time to impart flavour, then simply remove the bones on serving.
Serve your casserole with an accompaniment suitable for mopping up the sauce. Rice, couscous or mashed potato are traditional but some healthier options could be cauliflower rice or mash or even quinoa.
SPICY LAMB CASSEROLE
Serves 4-6
30ml olive oil
1kg diced lamb
30ml flour
1 onion, chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
15ml chopped fresh rosemary leaves
400ml red wine
600ml tomato passata
2 bay leaves
200g baby potatoes
1 large brinjal, cubed
10ml sugar
5ml salt
125ml black olives, pitted
2 feta discs, crumbled
Preheat oven to 150°C. Heat 15ml oil in an ovenproof casserole over medium heat.
Coat lamb in flour and fry in 2 to 3 batches until browned. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil and fry onion, chilli, garlic and rosemary until fragrant. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
Return the browned lamb to the casserole. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the feta.
Bring to a simmer. Cover and bake in oven for 1-2 hours until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened. Taste and season if necessary.
Crumble in the feta and serve with rice or couscous
BEEF AND GNOCCHI CASSEROLE
Serves 4-6
1.5kg beef shin, bones removed and meat cubed
45ml seasoned flour
30ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
15ml chopped garlic
4 celery sticks, chopped
3 parsnips, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
400g can of chopped tomatoes
250ml red wine
400ml water
350ml beef stock
salt and pepper
200g courgettes sliced
500g gnocchi
60ml chopped parsley
Toss the meat in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole and brown the meat in batches. Brown the bones as well as this will intensify the flavour. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Add the celery, parsnips and carrots and cook for a minute.
Return the meat and bones to the casserole and add the tomatoes, red wine and the liquid. Season well and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat, cover and place in the oven at 160°C for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven and take out the bones.
Stir in the courgettes.
Return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes, or until marrows are soft. In the meantime, cook the gnocchi according to the instructions. Drain and stir into the casserole when the marrows are soft.
Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Sunday Argus