Osso Buco

---

Preparation time: 20 min • Cooking time: 1½ hrs
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 4

---

Ingredients

5 cm veal shank sections
salt flakes and freshly milled black pepper to taste
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
30g butter
6 medium carrots (diced small)
6 sticks celery (diced small)
3 small onions (diced small)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 tin Italian tomatoes (chopped)
400 ml chicken stock
3 medium bay leaves
1 small mandarin (zest only)
½ cup Italian parsley (chopped)

Method

1. Set the oven to 160°C. Season all sides of the veal sections well, pan grill in extra virgin olive oil until golden on all sides and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy based frypan and add a little olive oil. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook until soft but do not brown. Add in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add in the white wine and stir well to dissolve all the sediments. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, mandarin zest and bay leaves.
3. Place the grilled veal shanks into an ovenproof dish and ladle over the vegetables and sauce. Cover with aluminium foil and place into the pre-heated oven for 90 minutes or until just tender.

Italian Beef Casserole

This is a great dish to make in the slow cooker. It’s simple to assemble the night before, in the morning just place it in the slow cooker, flip the switch and dinner will be ready when you get home from work. Heaven!

A casserole will keep for up to 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Casseroles should be refrigerated immediately after the steam from cooking has evaporated. Place the hot casserole into a shallow container in the fridge so it cools quickly. Do not leave it to cool completely on the bench. To serve bring it slowly to the boil over a medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the meat and sauce are both thoroughly hot.

---

Preparation time: 20 min • Cooking time: 2 hrs
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 6

---

Ingredients

1 kg chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 green capsicum, chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cups beef stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried oregano
400g can diced tomatoes
400g can cannellini beans, drained

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the beef into 2.5cm-3cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper, add about 2 tablespoons of oil and mix well. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches. Remove each batch and place in a casserole dish.
2. Reduce heat in pan and add a little oil. Add the onion, garlic and capsicums, cook for 1–2 minutes and stir occasionally.
3. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the vegetables are coated. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well. Add the tomato paste and oregano. Pour over the beef in the casserole dish and stir to combine. Cover the casserole dish, place in the oven and cook until the beef is very tender. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the tomatoes and cannellini beans.

Recipe notes

Cooktop method:

Place the browned Beef and other ingredients in a heavy-based pot. Partially cover, keep the heat low. Simmer until the meat is very tender. Stir occasionally, adding water if needed during the cooking time to keep ingredients just covered. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the tomatoes and cannellini beans.

To cook in a Slow Cooker:

Brown the Beef well as per the recipe and place in the slow cooker. Place the garlic and capsicum in to the slow cooker with the Beef. Blend the flour with the Beef stock and tomato paste, add the oregano and diced tomatoes, add to the Beef. You may need to add a little Beef stock or water if it appears that the liquid does not cover the Beef. Cover the slow cooker with its lid, cook on Low Setting for 8-10 hours or the High Setting for 4-5 hours. Stir in the cannellini beans in the last 40 minutes of the cooking time.

Beef noodle stir fry

The best beef steak cuts for slicing into strips for stir-frying include rump, rib eye/scotch fillet, sirloin/porterhouse/New York and oyster blade steaks. Add oil to the beef rather than adding oil to the wok – you’ll use less oil, and the meat will brown well. You can also add ingredients like a little soy or grated ginger for flavour. Use your fingers to massage the oil into the meat strips.

---

Preparation time: 10 min • Cooking time: 15 min
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 4

---

Ingredients

600 gm beef rump, trimmed
400 gm udon noodles, separated
2 tsp oil
2 carrots, cut into fine shreds
1 red capsicum, cut into fine shreds
1 bunch choy sum, trimmed
6 cm piece of ginger, cut into fine shreds
½ small Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
Juice of 2 limes
2 spring onions, finely shredded
2 tsp sesame seeds

Method

1. Cut beef across grain into thin strips. Add a little oil to beef, mix well. Heat the wok, ensure it is hot. Stir-fry beef in 2 batches, reheat wok between each batch.
2. Reheat the wok, add the oil and heat. Add carrot, capsicum, choy sum and ginger. Stir-fry for 1-2 mins. Add cabbage, stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add noodles, stir-fry until noodles are hot.
3. Return Beef to the wok, toss to warm through, add lime juice and spring onions. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Beef cheeks, chorizo, Penja pepper and Shiraz

---

Preparation time: 20 min • Cooking time: 4 hrs
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 8

---

Ingredients

1¼ kg trimmed beef cheeks
Salt flakes and freshly milled Penja black pepper to taste
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
½ cup chorizo (diced)
2 medium eschalots (diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
1 cup carrots (diced)
1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
6 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can peeled & diced tomatoes
1 tbsp juniper berries (crushed)
500 ml Shiraz
1 Litre veal stock
2 leeks (white part poached in stock until tender)
1 cup chicken stock
1 bunch baby carrots (boiled in stock until tender)
1 cup brussel sprouts (leaves blanched)
¼ pickled carrot slices

Method

1. Set the oven to 150°C. Season the beef cheeks and place into a preheated pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and brown well on all sides. Remove and set aside.
2. Heat a heavy braising pan, adding the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, garlic and chorizo. Stir well and cook for several minutes, then add in the diced shallots. Brown slightly, and then add in the thyme leaves, celery, carrots and mushrooms.
3. When lightly browned, push the mix to the sides and add in the tomato paste to the cleared middle of the pan, stirring well and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add in the red wine and stir well to loosen all the sediments on the bottom. Combine in the tomatoes, stock and crushed juniper berries. Place the browned beef cheeks into the sauce, cover and place into the oven. Cook slowly for 4 hours or until succulent and tender.
5. Pickled carrots; combine in a saucepan, 1 cup water, ¾ cup white wine vinegar and ¼ cup castor sugar. Bring to a boil and pour over the thinly sliced carrots. Allow to cool then store in the fridge.

Beef Bourguignonne

---

Preparation time: 30 min • Cooking time: 2 hrs
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 4

---

Ingredients

1kg chuck steak (cut into 4 cm cubes)
200ml quality red wine
1 medium onion (sliced)
10 stems fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
150 gm speck (cut into batons)
12 small eschallots
400 gm small button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 carrot (diced)
1 stick celery (diced)
1 brown onion (diced)
1 leek (white part sliced)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 litre beef stock
1 bay leaf
5 stems fresh thyme

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 150°C. Cut the rump into large 40mm pieces and place into a bowl. Add the red wine, sliced onion; fresh thyme, seasoning and olive oil then combine well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day remove the meat, drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Retain the wine for cooking later but discard the onions and thyme.
2. Heat a large heavy base pot and add the extra virgin olive oil. Bring up to heat and add the speck, frying until crisp, then remove to a bowl. Add the small peeled eschallots and cook until golden, then place with the bacon. Add in the mushrooms and cook until sizzling and golden. Remove and add to the speck and eschallots.
3. Add more olive oil and when very hot add the beef pieces and cook until well browned. Add the garlic and cook for several more minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Heat the pan with a little olive oil and add in the carrots, celery, onions and leeks. Allow to brown then add in the tomato paste and cook for several minutes. Add in the strained red wine and stir well to dissolve all the sediments.
5. Bring to a simmer, add in the stock and bay leaf, cover with a lid and braise slowly for 1 to 2 hours on until the meat is tender. Top with extra wine or stock if required during the cooking process.
6. Remove all the meat and set aside. Strain the liquid and discard the vegetables. Boil the liquid and reduce until slightly thick. Combine together the tender beef with the reduced liquid, speck, mushrooms, eschallots and thyme leaves.

Jerk spiced Beef oyster blade, carrot puree and onions

---

Preparation time: 15 min • Cooking time: 1 hr
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 4

---

Dry Ingredients

1 kg oyster blade (centre connective tissue removed)

For the jerk dry rub:
1 tbsp ground allspice
1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
1.5 tbsp salt flakes
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

General Ingredients

4 small parsnips
50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches baby Dutch carrots
4 baby beetroots
4 small red onions
1/2 cup nastursham leaves
4 sprigs micro parsley

Method

1. Rub the trimmed oyster blade steaks with a little of the jerk spice rub. Cover and keep under refrigeration until required.
2. Prepare the carrot puree by boiling the peeled and diced carrots (keeping 4 whole and boiled). Puree the cooked diced carrots until smooth, season well and keep warm. Cut the four uncut carrots into four even pieces.
3. Peel, halve and core the parsnips, brush with a little oil and roast for 15 minutes at 180°C or until cooked. Top and tail the beetroots, boil until tender, cool and rub off the skins. Slice, keep warm and set aside.
4. Cut the unpeeled red onions in half. Place a frypan onto the heat with a little olive oil. Place the onions, cut side down, grill until golden, then place the pan into a hot (180°C) oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are tender. Remove and carefully take out the grilled ring segments. Season and set aside.
5. Heat a heavy frypan and add a little olive oil. Grill the oyster blade portions on all sides until medium rare. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
6. Place 3 tablespoons of the carrot puree onto a warmed plate. Place on two parsnip halves between each carrot mound. Add on three onion rings, beetroot slices and four carrot sections.
7. Cut the rested steaks into halves, place onto the plates and finish with the herbs and a little olive oil.