Recipe: Peg Bracken's French Beef Casserole (make ahead, I Hate to Cook Book, 1980's)

FRENCH BEEF CASSEROLE

"This recipe looks pretty disastrous at first, with all those ingredients and instructions. But actually it's only a glorified stew which tastes rather exotic and looks quite beautiful. You can do it alll the day before, too. Just be sure you remember to take it out of the refrigerator an hour before you reheat it, so the casserole dish won't crack."

1 (1 1/2 pound) lean beef shoulder, cut in (1 1/2-inch) cubes
Salt and ground black pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons flour, divided use
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons bacon dripping
1 (1 pound) can tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can big mushrooms
1 pound carrots, cut in (2-inch) chunks
2 green bell peppers, cut in squares
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 teaspoon tarragon leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled

Brown the meat - which you've sprinkled with salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour - in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Put the beef cubes in a big casserole.

Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour in the remaining fat in the pan, and add the juice from the tomatoes and mushrooms. Stir it till it thickens.

Pour the sauce over the meat, add the drained tomatoes, and cover the casserole.

Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees F. Then take the casserole out of the oven and add all the other vegetables, plus minced onion, tarragon and basil. Re-cover the casserole and bake 1 hour longer at 325 degrees F. Remove from oven, remove the cover and set aside to cool. Then add the mushrooms, and refrigerate.

TO HEAT AND SERVE:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the casserole covered, for 45 minutes.

Put the rolls in to heat as you sit down to your salad, and everything should go along sweet as a May morning.

Makes 6 servings
Source: The Compleat I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken, 1986

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Betsy