Sumptuous Oven Casserole

Whenever I do a casserole, I tend to cook it on the hob, avoiding using the oven because in my view, it is more energy efficient. Since I have a gas hob and an electric oven, it makes even more sense to me.

Having said that, I recently did a chicken casserole in the oven, which daughter Alex – who is notoriously particular about what she eats with relish – absolutely loved. I must admit that it had a flavour composite and a texture that just doesn’t seem possible on the hob.

Freedom Day presented an opportunity to do something more time consuming than is generally possible on a normal weekday, so I set about assembling a casserole solely from what I had in the larder, fridge and freezer.

Two packs of mutton neck – yes, I know it tends to be tougher than lamb, but it has so much more flavour – formed the basis of the dish, and the rest emerged from instinct and availability.

Suffice it to say, it cooked for a long time, around three and half hours in a moderate oven, but the results were really worth it. The difference between hob and oven is that the connective tissue which causes meat to be tough, eventually cooks soft, effectively dissolves in the oven, making for meat tenderness and texture that cannot be emulated on the hob.

Of course you can use any meat that you choose to, and you should regulate your cooking time accordingly. Chicken, for example, will require far less cooking time that mutton lamb neck. How long is long enough, you might ask? Why, until it is melt in the mouth tender, of course!

Ingredient Selection and Preparation

1kg mutton neck: pat dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.

50ml olive oil

150g shallots: thinly sliced.

2 medium carrots: peeled and cut into chunks.

2 medium potatoes: peeled and cubed.

 2 leeks: chopped into coins about 5mm thick. Discard the green leaves and use the white part only. Wash them thoroughly and drain in a colander.

3 cloves garlic: fresh, crushed.

100g fresh green beans: topped, tailed and halved.

50g button mushrooms: wiped clean with a kitchen paper towel. Portobellini are best, but the white button variety will also do.

500ml beef stock

100ml dry red wine

1 x 400g can tomatoes: chopped in the can with scissors.

1tsp mixed herbs

1 bouquet garni: a sprig of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

2 bay leaves: fresh if possible.

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

Boil the kettle for your stock and pre-heat the oven to 18 deg C.

Heat a medium saucepan until it is piping hot and pour in the olive oil.

Brown the mutton neck pieces quickly, no more than three at a time. Set aside covered.

Adding a little oil if need be, sauté the shallots, until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Deglaze the saucepan with the red wine.

Place the browned meat in a large oven proof casserole. Add the vegetables, stock, tomatoes, mixed herbs, bouquet garni, bay leaves and the deglazed liquid from the saucepan.

Mix gently, then place covered in the middle of the oven for thirty minutes, then turn down to 160 deg C.

Bake for a further three to three and a half hours, or until the meat is melt in the mouth tender. Give it a gentle stir every hour or so, to make sure it does not burn or catch.

About a half hour before it is done, check the consistency of the gravy. If it is still too thin, stir a heaped tsp of cornflour into a half cup of water, and add to the casserole. Stir it in carefully and return to the oven for a further half hour.

Serve with steaming basmati rice, and perhaps a fresh green salad. Enjoy!

Wine of the Week

Crouching on the western slopes of the Paarl Mountain is Renosterkop Farm, home of Black Pearl Wines. Just 7.5ha of the 240ha is devoted to vineyards, and it is from this tiny patch of vines, that the Nash family crafts its exquisite wines.

I had the good fortune to acquire a bottle of Black Pearl Orro the other day, and considering the concentrated flavours in this dish, it matched perfectly with this dish.

The wine is dark, almost inky in colour, and offers powerful black fruit on the nose, with distinct dark chocolate notes.

The fruit follows onto the palate, principally cassis, followed by dark chocolate on the mid palate, with a leathery undertone, and gentle well integrated tannins.

The finish is long and fruity, almost sweet.