Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Tomato & Beef Casserole in the Slow Cooker

Chef: Allyson Gofton as heard on Afternoons Saturday 29 May 2010

Tags: casserole, beef, slow cooking

Preparation time without browning 15 minutes
Preparation time with browning 25 minutes
Cooking time low 7-8 hours, high 4-5 hours

(Serves 8)

Ingredients

• 2 kilograms lean beef for casseroling
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 green capsicums, diced
• 2 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced, optional
• ¼ cup seasoned flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 400-gram can condensed tomato soup
• french bread slices
• ½ French bread stick
• 1-1½ cups grated cheddar style Cheese

Method

Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.

Trim the beef of any excess fat and cut into largish pieces, about 3-4-cm cubes.

If wishing to brown the ingredients:
Heat a dash of oil in a frying-pan and brown the beef well on both sides. Set aside. Add the onions to the pan with an extra dash of oil if required and cook for about 5 minutes.

Into the pre-warmed slow cooker put the beef, onions, carrots, capsicums and leeks. Stir together the flour, stock and condensed soup and pour into the slow cooker. Stir to mix as evenly as possible and cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Serve the casserole straight from the slow cooker as is, or topped with the cheese-grilled French bread slices.

French bread slices

Cut the bread into 1-cm-wide slices and place on a baking tray. Place under a hot grill until lightly browned. Turn the pieces over and scatter the cheese evenly over the top of the bread slices. Return to the grill until the cheese has melted and turned lightly golden.