RECIPES FROM 1979
Braising Steak Casserole
Beef casserole with one rather important ingredient missing from the recipe.
WORTH MAKING AGAIN
2 HOURS 10 MINS
SERVES 4
ABOUT THE RECIPE
In my grandmother’s 1979 cookbook, Braising Steak Casserole has mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, tomato sauce and a single line of instructions. What it doesn’t have is steak on the ingredient list. I went with 750 g of braising steak, mixed the sauce in a jug and put it all in the oven. No browning or elaborate preparation. Just exactly what the recipe instructed. Well, almost.
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE
THE MODERN CONVERSION
From 1979 to today’s kitchen.
The original recipe, reworked with clearer measurements, modern steps and everything you need to make it now.
Ingredients
750 g braising steak, cut into roughly 3 cm pieces
¼ tsp mustard powder
¾ tsp sugar
1½ tbsp plain flour
285 ml water
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Frank’s RedHot Original
2 tbsp malt vinegar
1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
Method
1.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan forced. Place the steak in a casserole dish with a lid.
2.
In a jug, mix the mustard powder, sugar, flour and salt with a little of the measured water until smooth. Stir in the remaining water, hot sauce, vinegar and tomato sauce.
3.
Pour the sauce over the steak and stir to coat. Cover and bake for 1½–2 hours, checking the beef after 1½ hours. If it is still firm, keep cooking it covered until tender.
4.
Serve with mashed potato and plenty of the gravy.
THE TASTE TEST
So, was it worth making again?
The honest verdict after cooking from the 1979 page.
I was a bit sceptical. The ingredient list was unusual enough before I had to guess how much steak belonged in it. Then I tasted it. This is delicious.
The sauce cooks into a rich, savoury gravy that’s lovely with mashed potato. For all the recipe left unsaid, I would absolutely make this again.
SAMANTHA'S NOTES
The missing steak
My sauce choices
The old measures
The original recipe lists no steak and gives no quantity for it. I used 750 g, cut into roughly 3 cm pieces.
The card doesn’t specify the type of mustard, hot sauce or vinegar. I used mustard powder, Frank’s RedHot Original and malt vinegar.
The card’s ½ pint of water is about 285 ml, and its ¼ tablespoon of sugar is ¾ teaspoon. I’ve used those conversions above.
KEEP COOKING
More from the 1979 Archive
A few more vintage cookbook recipes to cook, save and come back to.
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