So I had to resort to a recipe that highlights Australia’s origins, which are influenced by the British, so many of the foods are various meat pies, bangers, and so forth. Australia is also influenced heavily by Asia, but seeing as I was going to be cooking enough Asian food in the coming weeks and wanted something truly “Aussie” I passed on those dishes. I figured with a casserole I could ease myself into this project. In advance, I want to apologize for the weird contrast in the photos; my camera was having a temper tantrum and I was too hungry to fuss with it.
I went with a simple beef casserole with mashed potatoes, which seemed to be a very common Australian meal as there were numerous variations to this recipe available on the web and in books. The only unusual ingredient on the list was a parsnip, which to some may not be that unusual, but I had never personally had a parsnip and apparently neither had the guy at the check-out since he had to ask me what it was. You really do learn something new everyday! The casserole was good, don’t get me wrong, and since beer was one of the ingredients in the dish it did have a more unique and memorable flavor, however it was something familiar as it reminded me of beef stew. The only thing I really got out of the dish was that I now know that a parsnip has an exaggerated carrot flavor.
I decided a couple bites in that while this meal was very tasty, it was just too “normal” compared to what I was aiming for when I first started this little culinary adventure. So from here on out I will try to find more unusual recipes. Recipes that have a more foreign taste at least and don’t remind me so much of the familiar. This dish did teach me a little lesson and next time I will be more brazen in choosing dishes, especially those that have ties to Britain and perhaps for this meal I should have gone with the “pie-floater” which is very foreign to me and consists of a meat pie stuck in a bowl with split-pea soup and covered in ketchup. However, I learned my lesson and will be braver next time, no matter how much the recipe makes my stomach squirm! I mean come on, I’m a college student who ate ramen stir-fry freshman year! I can do this!
Serving Size: 1-2
ReplyDelete0.4-.5 lbs blade or chuck steak (trimmed)
1 Tbsp. seasoned flour
1/2 Tbsp. oil
6 Tbsp. beer
1/4 onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 – 1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 stalk of celery, chopped
1/4 – 1/2 parsnip, peeled and chopped
5 oz. beef stock
Cut the meat into large 3 cm pieces and toss in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan and brown the meat pieces on all sides. Browning will add colour and flavour to the finished casserole. Add the beer and simmer quickly uncovered, for 5 minutes. You need to reduce the beer by a quarter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip and stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours until tender. Alternatively, transfer to a casserole and cook at 180C (350F for us Americans). Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables. I didn’t cook mine as long since there was a lot less of it… basically cook until tender.