Burgundy Steak And Mushroom Pie

I come back to this recipe time and time again every winter. The steak smells delicious as is simmers gently in the red wine! As the filling can be made the night before and popped into the fridge, it is quick to prepare on the night if you have guests, or just for a mid-week family meal.

Serve 4

1 onion, finely chopped
butter or dripping for frying
175ml beef stock
450g chuck steak, diced. (Although can use any of the less tender cuts)
120ml dry red wine
3tbsp  plain flour
225g button mushrooms, halved
5 sheets filo pastry (I don't usually eat processed foods, but filo pastry is one of my few concessions)
melted butter for brushing the filo with

soften the onions in a little butter or dripping. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the steak to the pan and brown. Return the onions to the pan, add the stock and red wine, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Checking frequently that is hasn't 'caught' on the bottom of the pan.
Blend the flour with some water and add to the meat. Stir well until the sauce has thickened. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 3 minutes. Season to taste.
At this point, you can cool the filling and refrigerate it, picking the recipe up again the following day.

Heat the oven to 190deg c, and spoon the mixture into a 5 cup pie/pyrex dish. Brush a sheet of filo with melted butter and scrunch up loosely on top of the filling. Continue with remaining sheets until the filling is covered.
Bake for 30 minutes, until golden.

Delicious with fresh vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes.

Braised Brisket

1.25kg brisket, trimmed, rolled and tied (although you can leave it unrolled if you wish)
25 g dripping (yes, dripping. Not canola oil or other abomination)
25g chopped bacon
1 carrot, thickly sliced
1 parsnip, thickly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
salt and pepper
250ml beef stock, red wine or a mix of both

Gravy

2tbsp dripping
450ml Beef stock
2 tsp flour
2 tsp tomato puree
1tbsp soy sauce (optional)
1tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Using a hob-safe casserole dish, brown the meat in the dripping. Remove from pan, and add the bacon and vegetables. Fry gently until softened.
Add salt and pepper, put the beef on top and pour on the stock/wine.

Cover and cook for 2 hours. Either on the hob if you have a heavy-bottomed pan and can keep an eye on it, of by transferring to the oven and cooking at 160 deg C.

Remove meat and veg from the casserole dish and place into serving dishes/plates. Melt the dripping in a saucepan and blend with the flour. Add the beef stock, tomato puree and soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce if using. Strain the stock left in the casserole dish into the gravy, and simmer for a few minutes.

Taken from Mrs Beeton's book of Cookery and Household Management.

Winter's Coming...but the wolves are not having my beef!

Today, hubby collected another order from Rannoch Meats, at Hill Street farmers market.
I'm always a little excited when he arrives home struggling under the weight of a quarter cow, butchered and vacumn-packed into family-sized portions. I never know quite what cuts I'll get. Sometimes we have four or five corned beef joints, this week we had none. Last order saw us cooking sausies and steaks on the barbie like there's no tomorrow. This time round, I'll be stewing, casseroling and braising my way through autumn and winter. Which is no bad thing, considering I'm not really a steak and chips girl, much to my husband's chagrin!
For the first time, I had a few packs of brisket, which is delicious braised slowly with a little bacon and red wine. As well as the brisket, there was shin on the bone, silver side and thick flank, all of which can produce delicious results cooked in a slow cooker, or slowly in the oven.

Take a look at the links on the right, for some great winter casseroles, using some of these cuts.