Recipe
Equipment
A camp oven with a lid and a spare bowl or plate for cooked beef.
Ingredients (Serves Four)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1kg chuck steak or diced casserole beef
3 large carrots, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 stalks of celery, diced
400g baby potatoes, halved
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon of dried thyme)
1/3 cup of plain flour
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine (pinot noir, merlot)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in the camp oven or large pot, then brown the beef in batches – setting aside cooked meat. Add another splash of oil, if needed; then sauté onions and garlic until softened. Add the carrot and celery and stir for a minute.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine before adding the beef stock, red wine, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Give it a good mix; then add the beef, herbs and potato. If necessary, add a little water to cover all the ingredients.
3. Simmer the casserole on low heat for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 30 minutes to thicken the sauce. The meat should be very tender and fall apart when you test it with a fork.
4. This is great as a one-pot meal … but you can serve it with mashed potatoes, rice or bread.
