Daube de Viande Mauricienne

Wow! Where has the time gone? Life has a funny way of taking over sometimes, doesn't it?

We're just getting into Autumn here in Australia, and the weather changes from hot to cold and back again. Today is a chilly 18 degrees so it's the perfect weather for a nice stew.

This recipe I learnt from a crazy Mauritian lady who lives around the corner from us - I swear, she's bat-shit insane, but her beef stew is amazing.


Ingredients:

900 g round steak, cut into 2-3cm pieces
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup beef stock
2 carrots, sliced ½ cm thick
3 slices of bacon
225 g fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp. flour
1 large. onion, chopped
¼ tsp. basil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Putting it all together:
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, add the
meat chunks and brown them on each side.

Remove the meat from the pan and set aside for later.

Add the onions slices to the pan and cook until caramelized. Add the browned meat chunks back to the pan with the onions. Add the tomatoes, carrots, wine, herbs, anise seeds, salt and pepper.

Simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened.

Serve with warm pasta, rice, or, my favourite, mashed potatoes.