15/06/2026
Simon's Slow-Braised Beef & Pancetta Casserole
This is comfort food in a bowl. Tender beef, smoky pancetta, red wine and vegetables slowly cooked together until rich, warming and full of flavour. It's the sort of meal that has people wandering into the kitchen asking, "How much longer?" long before it's actually ready.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1kg stewing beef, cut into large bite-sized pieces
4 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
150g pancetta or bacon, roughly diced
2 medium onions, roughly diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 large stalks celery, roughly diced
3 large carrots, roughly diced
2 cups red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons Gault's Italian Seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cups beef stock*
30g cold butter
*I've used Gault's Beef Stock Concentrate to make the beef stock.
Method
Dust the beef pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches until well coloured on all sides. Remove each batch and set aside.
Add the pancetta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly golden and beginning to crisp.
Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and translucent.
Stir in the red wine, tomato paste, cracked pepper, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, salt, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Return the beef and any resting juices to the casserole and stir well.
Cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours.
Remove the lid and continue cooking for a further 1 to 1Β½ hours, or until the beef is fork tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Remove the bay leaves. Stir through the cold butter until melted and glossy.
Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
Simon Says
If the sauce starts looking a little thick during cooking, just add a splash of water or stock. Every casserole dish cooks slightly differently, so trust your eyes more than the clock.
To Serve
Serve on a bed of creamy mashed potato, mashed kΕ«mara or steamed rice with green vegetables on the side. Finish with a generous sprinkle of fresh Italian parsley.
Ingredients used in this recipe, including Gault's Italian Seasoning, Gault's Beef Stock Concentrate and Gault's Free-Range Streaky Bacon or Pancetta, are available at Gault's Deli.
What's the one dish that instantly tells you winter has arrived?
