Slow Cooked Sunday Beef

For the beef:

Ingredients

1 beef brisket (about 2-3kg)

½ bottle red wine (not rubbish stuff!)

½ pint beef stock

1 large onion cut into chunks

5 garlic cloves (I like garlic!)

5 cut up carrots

Dried mixed herbs

Salt & pepper to season

Garlic fry lite

For the sides (have as much as you like!):

Baby new potatoes

Red, yellow, green pepper

Red onion

Peeled garlic

Broccoli

Asparagus

Method

Put ½ bottle of red wine in the slow cooker

Add beef stock

Add onions, garlic, carrots and mixed herbs to taste (I use about three teaspoons)

Cut all the visible fat off the beef

Salt & pepper well

In a large frying pan spray some fry lite and seal the beef on all sides

Put it in the slow cooker with the wine etc and cook on low for 6 hours

With about 45 minutes to go add the new potatoes to a pan of boiling water and boil until just cooked. 

As the potatoes are boiling, put the veg you want to roast in the oven on a tray, spray with garlic Fry Lite.  Cook at about gas mark 6-7 (180-200 degrees).  I used peppers, onion and garlic but you can add cherry tomatoes, courgette, aubergines – whatever you like,

When the potatoes are done (about 20 minutes) drain and put on an oven tray and gently press so they pop open a little, give a good spray with garlic Fry Lite and throw some peeled garlic cloves on there (if you like) I cook them for about 25 minutes at the top of the oven on gas mark 7…basically I put them in with the roast veg.

When you’re about 5-10 minutes away from serving take the beef out and put on a plate to rest.

Ladle some of the gravy out of the slow cooker and put in a saucepan, I add gravy granules to thicken.

Boil water for the broccoli and asparagus.

As the water is boiling cut the beef and put on the serving plate.

Put the broccoli and asparagus in to cook for about 3 minutes until al dente

Take out the roast veg and put in serving bowls

Drain boiled veg

Put gravy I bowl and serve everything.

One easy Sunday dinner that’s syn free apart from the gravy.  I sieve the gravy from the slow cooker and freeze it, makes a perfect base for a casserole or to use in Shepherds Pie!