This recipe requires the use of a multi cooker or slow cooker for the days you want to come home to already cooked dinner. The base recipe can be easily tuned into two other completely different dishes with the addition of a few more ingredients, avoiding boredom. I made these in mind for two people so there were plenty of leftovers to last the week. Once you’ve made recipe 1, put some meat aside for recipe 2, with a larger portion for recipe 3. Pour a small amount of the tomato liquid into each portion of meat to keep it moist in the fridge.
The base recipe
Ingredients:
2.5 kg beef, toasting joint or brisket
3 small onions, diced
5 garlic cloves, diced
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp oregano
½ tbsp each dried thyme and tarragon
1 tbsp paprika
2 cans tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 ½ mug broth, beef or chicken
A few splashes Worcester sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
The night before, chop the beef into big chunks and store in the fridge. Dice your onions and garlic cloves and store in the fridge. If you want to streamline things further, measure out your dried herbs and leave them, covered, on the side, ready to use in the morning.
In the morning, put all the ingredients together into your multi cooker or slow cooker. Mix everything together as much as you can to incorporate all the herbs within the tomato sauce. If using a multi-cooker, select the slow cooker option on “normal” cooking settings and set the timer for 12 and a half hours. If using a slow cooker, turn this on the auto setting. This combines the hot and slow setting together. Leave to cook for the same amount of time.
If you want the meat done sooner use the relevant hotter settings if available, to reduce the cooking time. If your multi cooker has a pressure cook option, use this instead, following the manufacturer's instructions for timings. I have very early starts for work so this time works perfectly for me to have everything done by the time I get home.
When the meat is cooked, remove it from the pot and shred finely. Return to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. The sauce should be quite watery, and you may not need all of it. It is up to you what you do with the remains, either saving it for another recipe like a soup or stew, or getting rid of it.
Recipe 1: Spaghetti
Ingredients:
Spaghetti, enough for two
Grated cheddar cheese, to taste
Boil the spaghetti as per packet instructions in salted water. Drain and dish up in two bowls. Pour some of the shredded meat and sauce over the spaghetti. Top with some grated cheese.
Recipe 2- Cheese Beef Toasted Tortillas
Ingredients
6 large flour tortillas
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp chipotle paste
3 tbsp of the tomato sauce
Grated cheddar cheese
Half chorizo sausage, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
Shredded beef
Oil spray, for frying
Mix the mayo with the chipotle paste and tomato sauce until smooth and lump free. Set aside.
Get one tortilla and smear with the mayo sauce. Top with some of the beef, followed by some of the chorizo and some cheese. Cover with another tortilla. Set aside and do the same with the rest of the tortillas.
Get a pan hot over low to medium heat and spray with the oil spray. Place one of the tortilla sandwiches in the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until golden brown and crispy. Carefully flip over and fry on the other side. The cheese should be melted and the beef warmed through. Place on a chopping board and cut into quarters before serving. Cook the other two tortillas in the same way. Serve with a mango salsa.
To make the mango salsa: Mix 1 finely chopped mango, 1 finely chopped red onion, and 1 diced red chilly with a large handful of chopped fresh coriander, the juice of 1 lime and salt to taste.
Recipe 3- Chilly con Carne with Mango Salsa and Easy Slaw
Ingredients
The larger portion of leftover shredded beef with a small amount of tomato sauce
1 tbsp plain flour mixed with 7 tbsp water
1 bottle jerk sauce
1 can kidney beans, drained
Place the meat in a large pot with about an inch of tomato sauce over high heat. When the liquid starts bubbling add the flour mix and continue stirring for about 2 minutes until the liquid starts thickening. Add the kidney beans and jerk sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for about 7 minutes until the meat is heated through and the sauce is thick. Turn off and serve with some of the mango salsa (above) and cabbage slaw. Both the chilli and slaw serve 4.
To make the cabbage slaw, chop up 1 white cabbage and mix with 2 grated carrots and 1 bunch of diced parsley. Season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Mix everything together with your hands as this would tenderise the cabbage slightly and let it absorb the flavours.
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