Beef casserole with tomato and roasted eggplant

Serves

Prep Time

Cook Time

120

Ingredients

1 kg chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp plain flour

2 cups beef stock

400 g can diced tomatoes

2 tsp dried oregano

2 cinnamon sticks

3 whole cloves

3 sliced lady finger eggplants, roasted

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the beef into 2.5cm-3cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper, add about 2 tablespoons of oil and mix well. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 or 3 batches. Remove each batch and place in casserole dish.
Reduce heat in pan and add a little oil. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute and stir occasionally.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the onion is coated. Gradually pour in the stock and stirring well. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon and cloves. Pour over the beef in the casserole dish and stir to combine. Cover the casserole dish, place in the oven and cook until the beef is very tender. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the roasted eggplant.

Cooktop method: Place the browned beef and other ingredients in a heavy-based pot. Partially cover, keep the heat low. Simmer until the beef is very tender. Stir occasionally, adding water if needed during the cooking time to keep ingredients just covered. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, add the roasted eggplant.