Slow cooked beef with vanilla and and capsicum

The addition of a vanilla bean to this dish gives it an extra flavour dimension.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 750g beef stewing steak
• 2 tablespoons each: flour, olive oil
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1/2 teaspoons each: salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1 each: red, yellow capsicum, sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Cut the beef into large chunks. Place the flour on a plate, add the beef and toss to coat the chunks evenly in the flour.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef for 3-4 minutes in batches. Place the beef in a casserole dish. Add the onion and garlic to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Add the cooked onion and garlic to the casserole dish along with the celery, red wine, beef stock and vanilla bean and seeds. Season with the salt and pepper.

Press a piece of baking paper on the surface of the meat and liquid then cover the casserole dish with a lid.  Bake the casserole in a preheated oven for 1 hour.

Add the capsicum and cook the casserole for 1 hour further, or until the beef is very tender.  Serve with soft polenta or mashed potatoes and green vegetables.