February 16, 2018

Beef, Tomato and Mushroom Braise

Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes | Serves: 6

Braising meat is one of the best ways to ensure fall-apart tenderness and fantastic flavour. This recipe is easy, quick. healthy, tasty and comforting – what more could you ask for?

Ingredients

  • 1 kg round or topside steak
  • 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 250g button mushrooms, halved
  • 500g jar of bottled tomato pasta sauce
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • Pinch sugar
  • Large pasta shells (cooked) and basil leaves to serve

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut the steaks across the grain into strips (about 1.5cm wide). Season with salt and pepper. Add a little oil to the beef strips, mix well.
  2. Heat a wok or frypan to hot. Stir-fry the beef in 3 batches, remove each batch and place it in a casserole dish. Add a little oil to pan, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes or until mushrooms are golden. Add the tomato pasta sauce, tomato paste, stock and sugar, stir until the mixture boils. Pour over the beef in the casserole dish and stir to combine.
  3. Cover the casserole dish, place in oven, cook 30 to 40 minutes or until beef is tender.
  4. Serve with the cooked pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil.

Tips

  • Brown the meat in small batches. Ensure the pan is hot when you add the meat (it should sizzle on contact).
  • Make sure the casserole simmers as it cooks – don’t let it boil or you’ll get tough, chewy meat!

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