Opting to eat in this festive season or hosting a festive dinner party and looking for a delicious hearty meal to impress; Culinary Artist Kirstie du Toit from Granny Mouse Country House & Spa provides her favourite Beef & Vegetable Casserole that is tasty, easy to prepare, cook and plate with ingredients you are likely to find in your pantry cupboard.

Ingredients:

2.5kg    Beef Cubes, Boneless

2          White Onions, Finely Chopped

1Tbsp   Garlic, Minced

1Cup     Oil

600ml   White Wine

600ml   Beef Stock

3Tbsp   Tomato Paste

2Tbsp   Rosemary & Thyme, Chopped

            Salt, to taste

            Pepper, to taste

500g     Baby Potatoes, Peeled and Halved

            Vegetables of your choice

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large pot on a low heat. Throw the finely chopped onions in fry until soft. (Setting the stove to a low heat allows less chance of burning the onions and the sweet juices to expel from the onions correctly)

2. Then, add in the garlic and herbs and cook out for 5min. Ensure the herbs and garlic do not turn a dark colour, as this will give off a bitter taste.
3. Then cut the beef cubes to the same size and drop them in the pot
4. Turn the heat up the slightly to get some colour on the meat
5. As soon as the meat has some colour on it, pour in the wine and stock and once it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30min, before adding in the baby potatoes and cook for another 30min on low heat.
6. Once the meat is soft, add the tomato paste and cook for a further 10min on a high heat
7. If you want your sauce to be more of a thick consistency, add slurry, this is equal parts hot melted butter and flour mixed together then poured into the pot. Mix well to make sure there are no lumps
8. Now you can add any vegetables that you desire, baby marrow, carrots, green beans, etc
9. Cook until all your vegetables are soft and taste to check the seasoning, adjust as desired
10. Serve with herbed basmati rice or freshly baked bread

Cooking a delicious meal has never been easier and with a minimal amount of pots used, you are sure to have the food ready and dishes washed before your guests arrive.

If you are hosting a Christmas dinner why not decorate the table accordingly. Add some festive crackers, and colour coordinate baubles in a glass jar as well as serviettes in each glass to add some flair.

You may even take it further by creating place cards, lighting a few candles and playing a few ice-breakers or board games for entertainment.

However if you are looking to eat out this Christmas, why not book at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa.

View the Christmas Menu here http://grannymouse.co.za/about-2/

Inspiring your team to go for gold each and every day can be a difficult and taxing job on any supervisor or team leader, but with the help of Granny Mouse, your team will be ready to take on 2017 with a bang.

A stimulating and nurturing environment, offering crisp county air, with the option of conference facilities that seat from 30 to 120 persons, Granny Mouse Country House and Spa is ideal for intimate or larger business meetings, teambuilding, corporate conferences, executive breakaways and everything in-between.

With a host of on-site activities appealing to everyone in your team, including a superb spa, wine or brandy tastings, Mousterchef cook-offs and a series of team building games to name but a few, Granny Mouse Country House & Spa’s team will take your ideas and make them happen, creating an environment that will truly get your team fired up for a results driven year!

Home to 32 luxurious rooms with breath-taking views, and on the door-step to exploring all that the KZN Midlands has to offer, Granny Mouse even offers green team building options for those looking to give back to local communities by giving of themselves across a range of empowering local community outreach programmes.

There really is no better place to book your team into to start 2017 off on a positive note, so contact Granny Mouse today on 033 234 4071 to discuss the needs of your team, or email banqueting@grannymouse.co.za. It will be the best start to your new year!