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Friday 2 April 2021

It's a little bit Continental : Bistro Beef In Beer


A bistro or bistrot /ˈbiːstroʊ/, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting with alcohol. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked foods, like this recipe suggestion, or a cassoulet, bean stew, are typical.

Don't you just love the look of those shiitake mushrooms! They go so well in this beef casserole, which is served with a herby nut topping. It also freezes well, which can be a bonus!

Ingredients
Serves 10 (or adjust as necessary)
14g carb per serving
4 tbsp. olive oil
1.5 kg (3lb 3½oz) chuck steak, cut into bite-size pieces
450 g (1lb) button onions or shallots, peeled and left whole
3 fat garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp. demerara sugar
350 g (12oz) shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp. each plain flour and English mustard powder
450 ml (¾ pint) Continental-style beer
A few fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves

For the gremolata topping:
Ingredients
80 g pack flat-leafed parsley, chopped
Coarsely grated rind of 2 oranges, plus juice of 1 orange
50 g (2oz) walnut pieces, toasted and roughly chopped
2 red onions, peeled and very finely chopped

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan) mark 2. Heat half the olive oil in a large flameproof ovenproof casserole until sizzling. Brown meat, a few pieces at a time, adding the remaining oil if needed. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or the meat will stew rather than brown. Every piece should be dark brown - the colour adds richness to the final flavour. Transfer each batch of meat to a plate while you brown the remainder.
2. Add onions to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly for 5min or until they're beginning to soften and colour. Add garlic and sugar; fry for 4-5min or until onions are soft and caramelised. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-3min.
3. Turn the heat down and return all the meat and any juices to the casserole. Add the flour, mustard and plenty of seasoning and stir in with a wooden spoon. Gradually pour in the beer, stirring as you go. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer, add thyme and bay leaves and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Put the casserole in the oven and cook for 3-3½hr. The beef should be tender and the sauce dark and rich. Season to taste. If making ahead, cool and freeze for up to one month in a freezer-proof container.
5. If serving from frozen, thaw overnight at cool room temperature. Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan) mark 4. Slowly bring beef to the boil in the casserole. Cover and reheat for 25-30min. Then mix together all the gremolata ingredients. Serve separately to scatter over the stew.
From an original Good House-keeping recipe here

At the Bistro, Jean Béraud

You may also like these recipes
French-Style Chicken and Fennel Braise - see here
Normandy Pork Casserole - see here
Salad Aveyronnaise, a little bit of France on your table - see here

A variety of recipe ideas are within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you, if you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues please take these into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

28 comments:

Maria Rodrigues said...

It looks delicious.
Have a great weekend
Hugs and all the best

Tom said...

...looks fabulous!

Christine said...

Yummy!

Elephant's Child said...

That gremolata sounds good - and could be adapted to many dishes. Thank you.

Mary Kirkland said...

That looks delicious.

My name is Erika. said...

Oh a French bistro is a wonderful memory for me.This looks like perfect bistro food.

Jenn Jilks said...

Oh yum!

John's Island said...

Hi Jan, Bistro Beef in Beer looks delicious. I've got to give this a try. Thanks, as always, for sharing. Wishing you and Eddie a happy weekend. Take care, stay safe. Best regards from Seattle, John

J.P. Alexander said...

Gracias m por la receta se ve muy apetitosa. Te mando un beso

Carola Bartz said...

Oh that looks delicious, Jan! I do like mushrooms, my husband and I eat them a lot. I will bookmark this so I can try it one day. Thank you for sharing.

Conniecrafter said...

I have had wine in meals but not beer, it does look very good!

happyone said...

mmmmm good.

Valerie-Jael said...

This sounds good! Happy Easter, have a great weekend, Valerie

linda said...

That looks delicious 😊

Jo said...

It looks delicious. A good hearty meal is just the ticket now that the cooler weather has returned.

Sue said...

This does look delicious, have a very happy Easter Jan and Eddie xx

carol l mckenna said...

Looks and sounds yummy for the meat eaters ~

Living moment by moment,

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aka (A Creative Harbor)

DVArtist said...

Wow this sounds like a great recipe. Have a nice day.

https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com said...

Looks tasty. I've saved it to Pinterest.

Debbie said...

i would LOVE this!! the hubs does not like mushrooms and i do but if something has mushrooms i don't cook it!!! still, this sounds wonderful, i may make this with a substitution!!

Teresa said...

Muy bueno. Besos.

Magic Love Crow said...

My mouth is watering! So good! Thank you! Big Hugs!

Iris Flavia said...

This sounds very yummy! Added to favs :-)
I really have to say: thank you. You even made me so curious I master the oven now!
It got Ingo years to get me to the stove but I only helped cutting meat and veggies.
Now I am confident I can do this!

Jeanie said...

This sounds great. Thanks for sharing it -- I know Rick would love this, too!

Phil Slade said...

There are some unexpected ingredients there but I'm sure it all comes together just fine. Good tip about browning the meat slowly and in separate pieces rather than all together.

Anne (cornucopia) said...

This looks and sounds delicious.

William Kendall said...

That sounds good!

Ananka said...

That looks really good.