1726. FRENCH BEEF and OLIVE CASSEROLE

For the Marinade:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 celery sticks, scrubbed and cut into 3cm pieces
150 ml red wine
150 ml red wine vinegar
bunch of fresh herbs
1 garlic clove, crushed
a few black peppercorns
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

675 grams rump steak, trimmed
180 grams fatty bacon, rinded
180 grams lean bacon, rinded
150 ml red wine
115 grams mixed black and green olives
4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and sliced

Begin with the marinade. Heat the oil in a pan and add the vegetables. Fry until browned (about 8 minutes) then stir in all the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

Slice the meat into thick chunks then place in a bowl and cover with the cooled marinade. Set aside to marinade for 2 hours then remove the meat and add to a casserole dish. In the meantime fry the fatty bacon until it renders its fat and pour into a casserole dish. Dice the lean bacon and add to the pot along with the marinade, wine and olives. Cover with buttered greaseproof paper then add the lid before transferring to an oven pre-heated to 160°C and cook for between 90 and 120 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

Shortly before serving skim-off the excess fat from the surface and add the tomatoes. Traditionally this is served with buttered noodles and grated cheese.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Celtnet.org