Try this storeroom-plundering casserole recipe by North Shore Mum and organic gardener and cook on the Burke’s Backyard team, Rachel Potter.
Ever have one of those weeks when getting to the supermarket or local produce market just seems beyond you? As mums, we all have times like this and so it’s great to have a few recipes up your sleeve that will make the most of what you already have in your pantry and fridge/freezer.
This is one of those recipes – a ‘go-to’ that can be used as a base to make a much-loved family favourite. Whenever I can’t get out of the house and am forced to use up what I have in the pantry, fridge and freezer, this recipe always makes an appearance. The meat sauce base works very well as a pie filling, too!
Winter warm-up casserole
Serves 5-6 adults (10 toddler serves)
Ingredients
For the meat base
600g beef (chuck or blade steak), chicken or pork, cut into 2cm cubes
⅓ cup plain flour
Pinch salt and pepper
4 Tbsp oil (rice bran oil or butter)
½ cup red wine
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
2 celery stalks, leaves left on, chopped
5½ cups vegetables (see note), chopped or grated
⅓ cup chopped herbs (see note), such as parsley, oregano, thyme
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp mustard (see note)
2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp balsamic reduction or vincotto
For the potato topping
7 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks, steamed
75g butter
1 tsp cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup mozzarella cheese, grated
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salad or steamed greens, to serve
- To make the meat base, place meat in a medium bowl. Add flour, salt and pepper, then toss to coat meat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-based casserole pan over a high heat. Transfer meat mixture to the pan and gently stir until meat is browned all over. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Pour half the red wine into the pan to deglaze, then add remaining oil. Once oil is hot, add onion, garlic and celery to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add remaining vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, or until just coloured. Return beef to the pan, add the herbs and stir to combine.
- Pour chicken stock into the pan. Add remaining red wine, tomato paste, mustard, honey, balsamic reduction or vincotto, salt and pepper, then stir to combine. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer (covered) for at least 1 hour, but ideally 2 hours. While cooking, ensure level of liquid is sitting 3cm above the meat and vegetable mixture – add water as needed.
- Meanwhile, to make the potato topping, place steamed potatoes in a large bowl. Add butter and cream, then mash until smooth, or process with a stick blender. Add egg and stir until an even consistency. Cover and set aside until meat is tender and mixture is the consistency of pie filling. Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced).
- Once mixture is cooked, pipe or spread potato mash over the top. Sprinkle over cheeses and salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle over olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until potato top is starting to crisp and brown. Serve with salad or steamed greens.
Notes
- Vegetables. Use whichever vegetables you have in your cupboard or fridge. This particular time, I used 1 large zucchini, 1 medium carrot, 1½ cups mushrooms, 3 small Thai eggplants and 1 medium kohlrabi. Other great vegetables would be beans, peas, sweet potato, parsnip, turnip, cauliflower and squash.
- Herbs. Use herbs you have at hand. If you don’t have any fresh herbs, this recipe will still work with dried herbs or none at all. Other herbs that would work well are fennel, chervil, chives and mint (for extra sweetness).
- Mustard. This gives great warmth to the dish. I used Dijon mustard this time, but you can use what you have. Although, hot English mustard is not recommended if you are serving this meal to little ones.
Extra recipe and cooking tips
- Include the leaves of the celery. These are so often discarded, but they give a depth of flavour that is not achieved by using the stalks alone. They can be used in many other ways in the kitchen: celery leaf pesto, used in tabbouleh instead of parsley, finely chopped and added as a garnish to salads and soups and used in juices or smoothies.
- Balsamic reduction and vincotto are staples in my pantry. They give any dish a real punch of flavour that seems to be missing if not added. They blend very well with any tomato-based dish and are delicious used as a sauce to drizzle over bruschetta, salads and pasta dishes. Making your own balsamic reduction is easy: add 1 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoonful of sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. The reduction should make ⅓ cup. Store in an airtight jar at room temperature.
- This casserole freezes well. It’s very handy to have in the freezer for those rushed evenings.
