Recipe

Hearty beef and barley casserole

The perfect meal to warm you up on cold nights.

Sep 09, 2020 2:00pm
  • 4 hrs cooking
  • Serves 8
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Tender beef chunks, chewy barley and hearty vegies slow cooked to create a delicious beef casserole. The perfect meal to warm you up on cold winter nights.
Looking for more beef stews and casseroles?

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kilogram gravy beef, excess fat trimmed (see tips)
  • ¼ cup (40g) plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 350 grams piece speck, cut into 1cm (½in) pieces (see tips)
  • 300 grams mixed mushrooms, larger mushrooms halved
  • 2 onions (300g), chopped coarsely
  • 2 large carrots (360g), halved lengthways, sliced thickly
  • 2 trimmed celery stalks (200g), chopped coarsely
  • 1 cup (250ml) dry red wine
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 litre (4 cups) beef stock
  • ½ cup (100g) pearl barley, rinsed
  • 1 bunch kale (250g), stalks removed, leaves torn coarsely

Method

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 160°C.
  • 2
    Cut beef into 4cm pieces. Place beef and flour in a large bowl; season. Toss beef to coat evenly in flour, shaking off excess.
  • 3
    Heat half the oil in a 6.75 litre (27-cup) cast iron or other flameproof casserole dish (see tips) over high heat. Cook beef, in batches, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned all over; use a little more oil if needed. Transfer each batch of beef to a large heatproof bowl.
  • 4
    Heat remaining oil in same dish; cook chopped speck, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes. Transfer speck and mushrooms to same bowl as beef.
  • 5
    Add onion, carrot and celery to dish; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add wine; cook for 2 minutes or until reduced slightly. Add thyme, bay leaves, stock and barley; bring to the boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours or until beef is very tender. Stir in kale leaves until wilted.

Notes

Use blade steak instead of gravy beef and bacon instead of speck, if you prefer. We used a 28cm round cast iron casserole dish.Serve with chargrilled sourdough or your favourite mash or side dish. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge, then reheat in a microwave.

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