Name: Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 4 h 18 min
Total time: 5 h 28 min
Yield: 6 people
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 200 g turnips; 200 g carrot; 200 g Jerusalem artichokes; 200 g mushrooms; 200 g Brussels sprouts; 150 g leek; 100 g onion; 150 g belly (streaky) bacon; 1 kg 200 g beef; 3 tablespoons olive oil; ½ lemon; 100 ml dry white wine; 100 ml vegetable stock; 150 g sealing dough; Salt; Pepper

For 6 people, you will need:

1 200 g turnips
2 200 g carrot
3 200 g Jerusalem artichokes
4 200 g mushrooms
5 200 g Brussels sprouts
6 150 g leek
7 100 g onion
8 150 g belly (streaky) bacon
9 1 kg 200 g beef
10 3 tablespoons olive oil
11 ½ lemon
12 100 ml dry white wine
13 100 ml vegetable stock
14 150 g sealing dough
15 Salt
16 Pepper
Total weight: 3,060 grams

Times for this recipe

Preparation

1 hour 10 min.

Cooking

4 hours 20 min.

All in all

5 hours 30 min.

Preparation 1 hour 10 min.

Cooking 4 hours 20 min.

When should you start or finish this recipe?

If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time

To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - ⌛ 30 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 1

Prepare the accompanying vegetables and bacon

Peel and rinse 200 g turnips, dry and cut into chunks.

Do the same with 200 g carrot (here I am using delicious little carrots in different colours) and 200 g Jerusalem artichokes.

Peel 200 g mushrooms, rinse if necessary and cut into chumks (wood blewits here).

Stage 2 - ⌛ 30 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 2

Peel and rinse 200 g Brussels sprouts, then cut into 4 lengthways.

Only use the white part of the leek and chop finely.

Peel 100 g onion and chop finely.

Dice 150 g belly (streaky) bacon small (use smoked if possible).

Stage 3 - ⌛ 2 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 3

Prepare the meat

Rinse and dry 1 kg 200 g beef, then salt and pepper all over.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 5 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 4

Use a large casserole that can be used both on the hob and in the oven. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on high heat.

When hot, add the meat and brown all over (1 or 2 minutes on each side).

Stage 5 - ⌛ 3 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 5

Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat down slightly and add the bacon pieces.

Fry lightly.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 2 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 6

Add the chopped onion, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 3 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 7

Add the mushrooms, stir and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 1 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 8

Add the juice of ½ lemon.

Stir well.

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Stage 9 - ⌛ 5 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 9

Add the vegetables all at once (carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, turnips and sprouts). Salt and pepper, then cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

This brief initial frying of the vegetables and bacon is what gives the dish a depth of flavour that just isn't possible by simply adding them raw.

Stage 10 - ⌛ 2 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 10

Put the meat back into the pan. Sit it right on the bottom (press it down to be sure), surrounded by the vegetables.

Pour in 100 ml dry white wine and 100 ml vegetable stock and season again.

Stage 11 - ⌛ 5 min.

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 11

Seal the casserole with 150 g sealing dough.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 4 hours

Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole : Stage 12

Cook in a slow oven for 4 hours.

Stage 13

The ideal way to serve is to bring the casserole to the table still sealed and break open the crust in front of everyone, so they can all share the delicious cooking aromas.

Stage 14

As is usual with this kind of popular bistro dish, everyone helps themselves to the meat and vegetables as they like.

There is no need to cut the meat, it is deliciously tender ("confit") and can simply be pulled apart with a fork!

Remarks

For the mushrooms, choose wild ones if possible, as they have more flavour. Use either fresh ones in season or dried (morels or chanterelles, for example).

If you do not have any vegetable stock (stage 10), use a chicken stock cube instead.

If for any reason you cannot or do not wish to seal the dish (a pity), increase the amount of liquid (wine and stock) by 50% to allow for evaporation during cooking.

Nutritional information

	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats	Calories	Energy
Per 100 g	8 g RDI=13 %	7 g RDI=3 %	13 g RDI=18 %	168 kcal RDI=8 %	704 kJ RDI=8 %
Per person	43 g RDI=67 %	38 g RDI=15 %	67 g RDI=92 %	857 kcal RDI=43 %	3,588 kJ RDI=43 %
Whole recipe	262 g RDI=404 %	230 g RDI=87 %	403 g RDI=553 %	5,142 kcal RDI=257 %	21,529 kJ RDI=257 %