Beef & Porcini Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 spray olive oil
• 40 g dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 litre beef stock
• 400 g canned diced Italian tomatoes
• 250 g bacon, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp rosemary leaves removed from stalk
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 large onions, diced
• 4 tbsps flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 800 g chuck steak, diced
• 250 ml red wine

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Rehydrate the porcini mushrooms in the cold water.
2. Spray an ovenproof, non-stick pot with olive oil. Sauté the bacon on medium heat, until just browning. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic, cook until softened. Remove from heat.
3. Heat a non-stick fry pan on medium high heat. Cook the meat in small batches until well browned, deglazing the frypan with a little of the red wine after each batch. Place each batch into the pot using a spatula to get all the caramelised goodness.
4. When all the meat is in the pot, return to medium-high heat and stir through the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste, stock, remaining wine, tinned tomatoes, paprika, bay leaves, tinned tomatoes and roughly chopped porcini and the water they rehydrated in. Season to your liking with black pepper.
6. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in the oven. After 2 hours check the meat, it should be able to cut with a fork easily.
7. Serve with finely chopped flat leaf parsley.