Matt’s Cooking Corner — Slow Cooker Sicilian Beef

Granpas slow cooker Sicilian beef

A perfect meal for a cold winter night.

Ingredients:

• 1kg gravy beef or chuck steak, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 brown onion & 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 250ml Beef Liquid Stock & 125ml red wine
• 400g can cherry tomatoes
• 2 strips orange rind, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 55g pitted Sicilian green olives
• Pasta or couscous, to serve

Method:

1. Brown the beef in batches with olive oil and transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Cook the onion, fennel, and garlic until soft. Stir in flour, then stock and wine.
3. Add the mixture to the slow cooker with tomatoes, orange rind, cinnamon, and chilli.
4. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).
5. Stir in olives and serve over pasta or couscous with basil.

— Mathew Rush