Mediterranean Beef Stew

Servings

2 to 3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 pounds braising steak, chuck steak or stewing steak, cubed
3 tablespoons all-purpose or plain flour use corn flour for gluten-free
a generous pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 red peppers, de-seeded and cut in roughly one inch pieces
2 medium eggplant, cubed
½ cup beef stock
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups passata passata is sieved tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato puree or paste
2 cups button mushrooms, halved or use larger mushrooms and slice them
2 zucchini, cut in slices about half an inch thick Zucchini are also known as courgettes.

1 pound pasta shapes - penne or fusilli work well use gluten-free pasta if required

1 small baguette or half an Italian bread loaf cut in thick slices use gluten-free bread if required
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 teaspoon dried chives or parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Using a large casserole or Dutch oven suitable for stove top and oven use, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil on the stove top over medium heat.
Meanwhile, mix together the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl or on a plate.
Coat the cubed beef in the flour mixture.
Brown the meat in the oil, turning to make sure all sides of the cubes are browned. You may need to do this in batches. Add more oil if necessary. Remove the beef cubes as they are browned and keep warm.
Add a bit more of the oil to the casserole or Dutch oven and sauté the onion until it begins to soften.
Grate in the garlic cloves and add the red peppers and cubed eggplant.
Sauté until the vegetables begin to pick up a bit of colour.
Return the beef to the pan and stir in the beef stock, oregano, passata or tomato sauce and the tomato puree or paste.
Put the lid on the casserole and place it in the oven for an hour.
After an hour, remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the button mushrooms and the zucchini.
Put the lid back on and return the casserole to the oven for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring every half hour.
When the beef is fork tender and the vegetables are cooked through, the stew is done. Divide the stew in half, putting half of it to the side to cool. Refrigerate promptly.

Keep the remaining stew warm while you cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain the pasta and stir through the stew. Serve in warmed bowls with the pasta.
Alternatively, transfer the stew and pasta to a casserole, top with grated cheese and brown in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes for a pasta casserole.
If there are any leftovers from the pasta dish, cool any leftovers and refrigerate promptly.

For the Garlic Bread Topped Casserole, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Remove the remaining stew from the refrigerator and transfer the remaining stew to a large open casserole dish.
Heat in the oven until hot and bubbly, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, grate the garlic clove into the melted butter and stir in the dried chives or parsley, salt and pepper.
Spread the garlic butter over one side of the bread slices.
When the stew is hot, remove it from the oven and arrange the bread slices, garlic butter side up, on top of the stew.
Return the casserole to the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the garlic bread is golden brown.

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