Mains - Beef

Beef Enchiladas

1 whole piece of blade, chuck or topside - around 2kg

For the Rub:

1 dessertspoon coriander seed

2 dessertspoons cumin seed

1 tsp cayenne

2 dessertspoons paprika

For the Sauce:

1 dessertspoon coriander

2 dessertspoons cumin

1-2 tsp chilli, minced/diced

1 tsp cayenne

1 dessertspoon black pepper

2 dessertspoons hot smoked paprika

300ml tomato passata

1 tin diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 brown onions, finely diced

1 red onion, finely diced olive oil water or stock or consommé corn tortillas

200ml tomato passata grated extra tasty cheddar (we really like NZ Mainland Tasty) sliced spring onions

Spiced Mexican Rice or plain cooked rice refried beans

Method

To roast the meat prior to shredding:

Preheat oven to 160˚C. Toast gently the Rub ingredients whole spices until fragrant, then pound in a mortar & pestle, then add cayenne and paprika and mix well.

Or, if using ground spices, mix ‘rub’ ingredients together in a small bowl.

Generously rub/smear it all over each side of the meat. Place it into a lightly greased lidded casserole dish with a splash of cold water and place the lid on.

Slow roast, checking occasionally and turning the meat, adding a splash more water every so often, for 3-5 hours. The longer it cooks at a lower temperature, the more easily it will shred.

If you can break the meat apart with a spoon or fork, the meat is sufficiently cooked. Using two forks, while the beef is still hot, separate the strands of meat, discarding any really gross fatty or gristly bits.

To make the enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 160˚C - not fan forced.

Using a large, heavy based casserole (I love my le Creuset for this type of cooking) gently saute the onions, garlic and all spices in a little olive oil. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes on low heat to release the flavour of the spices. Add the passata & tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the shredded beef.

If the mixture is very thick add 100-200ml water or stock. Bring to a simmer.

Leave the lid off and place in the oven and allow to slow cook for around 1-2 hours. Check every half hour and if required, add a little more stock/water if sauce becomes too thick.

To assemble: Dip each tortilla into the passata then fill with shredded beef/spice/sauce mix, then top the filling with a little grated cheese. Roll up & place, seam side down, into a deep baking tray/dish. Continue with remaining tortillas until baking dish(es) are full. You will have sauce left over (hopefully, if you’ve been too generous with your stuffing, add some more passata to the sauce) spoon over each filled tortilla. Top with generous handfulls of grated cheese. Bake at 180˚C for around 30 min until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Beef Stew

Rosemary Shrager

For the Beef Stew

700g topside or chuck of beef, cut into 3 cm. cubes

150g flour

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 sticks celery, sliced

1 tablespoon small capers

3 fillets anchovies in oil, chopped

½ bottle red wine

1 Litre Beef stock (allow for a little extra)

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

For scone topping:

330g self raising flour

75g butter

3 small eggs, beaten

3 tablespoon milk

3 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

6 teaspoons finely chopped thyme

Salt and pepper

You can also add a can or bottle (250ml) bottle of Guinness ;-)

For baked shallots:

20 shallots, peeled

2 sprigs of thyme

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine

Salt and pepper

For the carrot & parsnip puree

250g carrots peeled and sliced

250g parsnips, peeled and sliced, hard core removed

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

60g unsalted butter

Grated nutmeg

Pepper and salt

Method

Preheat Oven 160˚C

Roll the beef in seasoned flour then fry in batches in olive oil, browning well on all sides.

Place the beef into a casserole, then soften the onion, carrot and celery in the same frying pan. Finally add the anchovies and capers and let the anchovies melt before adding the mixture to the casserole.

Boil the wine in the frying pan and reduce by a third, scraping all the solid bits for added flavour.

Pour this over the meat and add enough stock to cover. Cover the casserole and put in the oven for 2½ hours. After this time check the liquid; if it is too thin stir in a little beurre manié.

Beurre Manie

This is equal quantities of butter and flour (75 g), blended together (like a roux but not cooked) this will prevent the flour from going lumpy when added to the sauce. Use a little at a time until the desired consistency has been achieved.

This mixture makes excellent leftover pies. Use shortcrust pastry and make individual pies which can be frozen uncooked. Simply brush the frozen pie pastry with a little milk, bake in a 180-200˚C oven for approx 35-45 minutes.

Carrot and parsnip puree

Boil the vegetables and garlic in salted water till soft and put them in a blender until smooth. Put them through a potato ricer into a clean pan. Reheat and stir in the butter. Season with pepper, salt and nutmeg.

Beef Stroganoff

1kg thinly sliced, lean beef strips

4 large brown onions, thickly slices

6 large field mushrooms, brushed and chopped in 3cm thick slices

1 700ml jar tomato passata

300ml red wine - cab sav or shiraz

3 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

600ml sour cream freshly ground cracked black pepper olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 175˚C and place a large baking pan and a medium baking pan in to preheat.

When pan is hot, drizzle olive oil over the base of the larger of the two pans and scatter the beef strips evenly.

Liberally sprinkle salt & pepper over the beef. Drizzle a little olive oil over the beef and return the pan to the oven and cook for around 25 minutes.

In the second, smaller pan, drizzle olive oil and add the sliced onions. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Place in the oven and cook for around 15 minutes.

Using forks or tongs, toss the beef and return to the oven for further 10 minutes. Using forks or tongs toss the onions and then add the mushrooms on top. Return to the oven and cook for further 10-15 minutes.

Add the onions & mushrooms to the beef and toss well to mix.

Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato passata and red wine and mix well.

Return to oven and reduce heat to around 160˚C and cook for at least 1 hour.

Check occasionally and stir well. Add more passata if you feel inclined, or a combination of passata, wine & water if sauce becomes too dry.

Just before serving, add sour cream and mix well, ensuring all cream has melted into the sauce.

Serve with either steamed rice, egg noodles/pasta or potato rosti.

Full Rump Roast (Weber)

1 whole rump (fat on)

1 cup wholegrain mustard OR ¼ to ½ cup English mustard salt/pepper

3 sprigs rosemary olive oil

Method

Pat the rump dry with absorbent paper.

Season all surfaces with salt and pepper.

Sear each surface in a blisteringly hot heavy based frypan.

Smear the mustard over all meat surfaces & drizzle with a little olive oil.

Place onto the top rack of the Weber and add 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary . Close lid and cook for between 3-5 hours, checking on coals after 2-3 hours & restocking if necessary.

Don’t remove lid for at least 2 hours, then check the state of the coals. Remove rump and rack, disperse spent ash, add more coals (if required) heat them up as before (coals must get red hot & ashy before putting rump back in & replacing lid).

Replace the rump and cook for approx 1-2 more hours for medium rare - or use a meat thermometer.

Generally it takes around 3-5 hours to cook the whole rump - depending on the size of rump and the weather conditions.

One of the best parts is the leftovers - they make seriously wonderful sandwiches!

Oven Roasted Beef & Gravy

1 piece of Wagyu topside (fat on)

1 cup wholegrain mustard or ¼ to ½ cup English mustard salt/pepper

500ml beef consommé olive oil

Preheat oven 200˚C for Method 1, 160˚C for Method 2

Dry the topside with absorbent paper. Season all surfaces with salt and pepper. Sear each surface in a blisteringly hot frypan.

Smear the mustard over all meat surfaces & drizzle with a little olive oil and sear in a preheated heavy based frypan until browned on all sides.

Method 1: Place into a preheated oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160DegC and cook until to your liking - use a probe thermometer for best results.

Method 2: Place seared joint into a heavy lidded cast iron/enamel casserole. Pour in the consommé. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 hours on a very low heat.

Remove meat and allow to rest 30 minutes before carving. Use meat juices to make gravy, adding beef consommé to baking pan and reducing over medium heat, seasoning to taste.

Method 2 yields its own gravy/liquid. Either reduce down over medium heat, or mix together 2 teaspoons plain flour with 2 teaspoons soft butter & blend well. Add paste to meat juices until desired thickness is achieved and stir well & allow to simmer to cook out the flour.

Generally it takes around 1-2 hours to cook, depending on the weight/size of the joint.