Beef and brown lentil casserole

Just another lovely winter Sunday! Grey sky to remind you the season but mild temperature to let you have a walk in the bush. I love those NZ winter days. It reminds me only the best aspects of European winters: the time slows down, the streets are more quiet, family members get together, parents play board games with children, grannies would bake with grand-daughters, grandpa would share old stories with grand-sons and families sit all together around a hearty meal that cooked nearly all day long! Winter can be very comforting.

I find NZ winter somehow more comforting: I feel less endangered by the sun rays, but we can still enjoy outdoors; sunrises and sunsets are just perfectly timed to be enjoyed, and I have the chance to live so close to the sea front... I love winter sunsets on the bay.. There is no buzz or rush in the malls, no stress about Christmas coming up soon (in spite of the magic of winter Christmas, it can be quite stressful). In absence of Christmas celebrations in NZ winter, there is at least one thing that does not change: kids are still super-excited (or in a dinosaur mode for some) and drive their parents crazy! If this is your case, just take them to the bush and leave let them have a walk for an hour or two and they'll sleep in the car on way back home.

Beyond super-excited kids, NZ winter gives you the time to enjoy your time at a slower pace under a mild climate. - Okay, okay... I'm a bit biased by the quite dry winter we have this year... or maybe by the new house, fully insulated and double glazed, that changed our life since few months! Anyway, when it's not pouring raining, I love NZ winter!
Besides rain, cold or sun, we still enjoy a slow-cooked one-pot dinner during NZ winter. No worries, I assure you this hearty beef and lentil casserole did not cook for all day long! There is a little trick to avoid that lentils take ages to be soft. Just follow the recipe ;-)

Ingredients (6-7 servings)

- 800 g chuck beef, diced into 2 cm pieces

- 500 g brown lentils, dry

- 2 carrots, diced into small pieces (< 1 cm)

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 garlic clove, crushed

- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1 tsp oil*

- fresh parsley

- salt, black pepper

- water

Cooking instructions (1.15 hour)

1. Soak the lentils into a large amount of cold water over night.*

2. Heat the oil in a large pot*,  and sear in the diced chuck beef for 5 mins. Take the beef out and reserve.

3. In the same pot, sear the onions, the garlic and the carrots until the onion are coloured. Then take them out and reserve.

4. Put the meat back into the pot on medium heat. Add the tomatoes (diced), the cumin and the paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.

5. Cover with water and bring it to the boil, lid off. Then reduce to gentle heat, lid on. Simmer for 35 mins.

6. After 35 mins, add the carrots, onion, garlic and the lentils (previously drained). Season and stir. Cover with water and cook for 20-25 mins, lid on. Stir occasionally.

7. Check the seasoning and the sauce consistence. If you like it thicker, then take the lid off and reduce on gentle heat. If there isn't enough sauce, add a little bit of water and cook for 5 extra minutes.

8. Sprinkle a generous amount of fresh parsley on the top just before serving. It will bring some freshness to this hearty winter meal.

Suggestion: This dish goes very well with naans, a traditional Indian bread.

Tips / Useful information

* I usually prefer to use olive oil as it is healthier than most of any other sunflower, canola or vegetable oils. But of course, it's up to you and your habits.

* Soaking the dry lentils into cold water for several hours will soften the lentils and thus make their cooking much quicker. The timing given in this recipe are based on the assumption that you soaked your lentils in for at least 8 hours.

* I used my favourite iron pot.