This is a delicious classic beef casserole, with a cheeky nod to a pie with cut out puff pastry shapes on top.
Serves 4-6 Total Time 2.5-3.5 hrs
Ingredients
- 500g diced beef or stewing steak
- Ocado Flour, for coating
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil, for frying
- 200g pancetta or bacon lardons
- 200g Ocado shallots, peeled and halved
- 3 Ocado garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- Handful of small Ocado chantenay carrots
- 500ml full-bodied red wine
- 250ml beef stock
- 1 bouquet garni
For the pastry
- 1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry
- 1 Ocado egg, beaten
- Christmas tree/ star-shaped pastry cutters
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan/gas 3.
- Place the beef in a large plastic freezer bag, add the flour, salt and pepper and shake until it is all coated.
- Heat a good glug of oil in a large casserole dish and brown the meat in batches, taking care to not overcrowd the pan. Take out the beef and set aside.
- In the same casserole dish add the pancetta or lardons, shallots and garlic, and brown.
- Add the tomato purée and carrots. Return the beef to the casserole and add the wine, stock and bouquet garni. Bring to the boil.
- Cover the casserole with a lid and cook in a preheated oven for 2–3 hrs.
- Turn the oven up to 200ºC/180ºC fan/ gas 6 and take out the casserole.
- Cut out the pastry with the Christmas tree and star-shaped cutters and place onto a lined baking sheet.
- Brush with the beaten egg and cook for about 15 mins. Take out and set aside.
- Arrange the pastry cutouts on top of the beef and bring to the table for everyone to serve themselves, or spoon your beef into separate shallow dishes and top with a pastry tree or star.
For more Lisa Faulkner recipes check out her Apple Crumble and Custard Cake