G F Friendly
Harvey Beef Ragout
cubed beef in a rich herb and tomato sauce
500g beef steak cubed (2cm)
100g fried bacon cut in 2cm pieces
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1 stick celery sliced across stick 1 cm
½ cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
2 carrots cut in 1 cm slices
1 tsp minced garlic
500ml beef stock
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp ground bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp tarragon
1 400g can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil + extra
1 cup red wine
2 Tbsps flour
½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper to season flour
extra water if required to prevent the sauce from drying out
In a large skillet, fry the bacon in one tablespoon of oil until lightly browning. Drain the pieces in the pan before removing, then set aside. Combine flour, salt, and black pepper in a bowl and toss the beef cubes in this to coat, shaking off any excess. Mix the dried herbs and spices into the remaining seasoned flour and reserve for later use. Add a little extra oil to the pan if necessary and fry the seasoned beef to sear and brown slightly on all sides. Do this in batches to avoid steaming. Remove and set aside.
Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan, warm slightly then add the onion, celery, mushrooms and carrots. Stir-fry the vegetables over a medium heat until lightly browning. Transfer the contents of the frypan (including juices) to a deep pan or Dutch oven, pour in about a cup of the stock, cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender. Toss the vegies occasionally.
Now, stir in the garlic, sprinkle on the reserved seasoned flour and toss to coat the vegies. Mix in the remaining beef stock, the wine and tomatoes. Add the beef and bacon, then stir over a medium heat until just boiling. Use a heat-diffuser for the next stage if you have one. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pan and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, remove the cover, increase the heat a little and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, to reduce the liquid to thick-soup consistency (about 30 minutes).
Serves 6 with vegetables and mashed potato, or rice if preferred. Freezes well
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