Slow Cooked Balsamic Beef - great winter comfort food, suitable for beginner cooks!

[Pie_Lad]

So, as it gets colder, it's always nice to break out the heartier food. I particularly like the idea of slow cooking because it means there is less of a rush running all over the place trying to juggle 3 or 4 things at once. Also, you get fantastic aromas throughout your house for the few hours you are cooking.

I particularly like this recipe because it really is just that easy. Chop, fry, sit back and watch it cook itself.

Without further ado;

Slow Cooked Balsamic Beef (serves 4)

You will need:

• An onion
• A decent-sized carrot
• A stick of celery
• 200g mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 600g of diced beef
• Salt and pepper
• Plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• A clove of garlic
• Balsamic vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• 400ml of water
• 1x 400g tin of whole tomatos.

Lets get started!

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Dice your onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms. Fry them on your stovetop in olive oil until cooked. Remove them from your pot, and set them aside for a bit. We'll be back to them in a second.

Season your beef with a bit of salt and pepper. I then took some advice from fellow forum goer Amfibius and threw a tiny pinch of sugar in with a little more olive oil to fry the meat.

When the meat has been browned (not completely cooked, just not pink on the outside) add back the vegies as well as a tablespoon of flour (to thicken the mixture), the tomato paste and crushed garlic. Stir it all together quickly, then add the 400ml of water, tinned tomatos, and a good squirt of balsamic vinegar as well as a tablespoon of the worcestershire sauce. Don't worry if you put a little too much of the balsamic vinegar in; you can't really ruin this dish! Stir it all together until its well combined, then cover your pot with a tight fitting lid and throw it into the oven. Don't worry if you think it looks too watery, it will thicken as it cooks.

The next 2 hours is all yours - catch up on your study, watch TV, surf OCAU. Enjoy the smell as the meal cooks. You might want to check it after an hour to make sure its not boiling, and turn it down to 160C if need be. A quick stir wouldn't hurt either.

After 2 hours of cooking in the oven, remove and serve with your choice of side dish. I recommend mash potatoes, but couscous or rice would work too. A nice green salad wouldn't hurt either, nor would some fresh crusty bread to mop up the leftover sauce on your plate. Be creative!

So thats more or less it! It freezes quite well too, so you can make it ahead of time if need be and just reheat it in the microwave.

[zfind]

That looks to die for. Looks very much casserole - I guess it's the same sort of thing?

How apparent is the balsamic vinegar in the eating? I love the stuff but wonder how it would translate in this dish.

[RavenKittie]

That looks fantastic. If it were me, I'd probably add more garlic and would be a little too tempted to add some chili's.

Damn. I wish I had of saw this thread before I went to the shops! It looks great

[Pie_Lad]

Yes, you could get away with calling it a casserole.

The balsamic is apparent, but definitely not overpowering. I add a fair splash to mine, and you can still taste the flavour of the meat.

More garlic definitely wouldn't hurt, and of course add chili if you want. I've made it with chili in the past, but the majority of this household prefer it mild.

[Appius1]

Are you sure stove cooking then cooking in oven is required? I mean 2hours is a long time in. I usually do caseroles for around 1.5hrs and dont cook anything (i.e. i whack it all in and let it cook in the oven).

[Pie_Lad]

All you're doing on the stove is searing the meat to seal it and cooking the veggies a bit. Feel free to skip it, after all, cooking has no hard and fast rules =)

Hope you enjoy eating it.

[RoSWeLL]

I will try this in the slow cooker, do it before work and when I get home it should be prime.

[Lespom]

It's cooking in the slow cooker right now, looks and smells great. Could have made twice as much to fill the crockpot, however I did double up on the carrot and celery, also cut down on the water, don't need as much with the crockpot.

[Pie_Lad]

Dare I ask if you'll be cooking this again? =)

[Lespom]

Originally Posted by Pie_Lad

Dare I ask if you'll be cooking this again? =)

Yeah, it rocks, I will cook it again, the next test is how well it freezes, I've put a couple of containers in the freezer, should be no prob. Let you know later next week when I thaw one out and try it.

[juppy]

very similar to beef ragout.... except that generally just uses red wine in place of the Balsamic (which is basically just red wine anyway). The ragout I make usually has some crispy prosciutto and some big spring onions that you cook whole.

Will have to try the balsamic next time, sounds good.

[bogaurd]

Cooked this one last night, worked out rather well

Thanks for sharing!

[STINGA]

Thread revival!

Made this last night with a few changes. It tasted really good, worth trying.

Here's how I made it:
An onion
A large carrot
A stick of celery
200g mushrooms
600g of diced beef
1TB Plain flour
1TB of tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1TB Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
2 cups beef stock
1ts thyme
1ts rosemary
2 bay leaves
400g tin of diced tomatos.

Next time I'll try using red wine in place of the water, but it turned out really nice.

[Zodiac87]

I'll be cooking this tonight in the slow cooker will post results.

[Zodiac87]

Originally Posted by Zodiac87

I'll be cooking this tonight in the slow cooker will post results.

I failed Turned out with very overpowering tomato taste. Bit sharp from the balsamic that's about it. Certainly edible though! Must of gone wrong somewhere