Forever Mince

Photo © Anne-Marie Minhall

Minced Beef - it has been part of my life since I was old enough to eat it.

With mash. With pasta. With dumplings. Within a pie. Within a burger bap. Within a meatloaf - you get the idea.

Why do we call it such? Apparently 'mince' comes from the Middle English 'mincen' & the Old French 'mincier' meaning 'to chop finely'.

For me, it's a 'go to' staple. Minced beef is so versatile, it lends itself to so many flavours & accompaniments on a plate.

Plus, it's always a comfort & usually even better the next day after you've cooked it.

I've just discovered a Nigel Slater recipe for what he calls 'Rather Good Mince' & it's a delight. 

Made this last evening .. plenty of leftovers to enjoy. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe just to suit myself.

50g Butter
70g Dry Cured Smoked Lardons
2 Onions - Finely Chopped
4/5 Garlic Cloves - Ditto
4 Celery Stalks - Ditto
150g Mushrooms - Sliced
2 Bay Leaves & 3/4 Sprigs Rosemary
500g Minced Beef 
400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
200ml Beef or Vegetable Stock 

Heat a big pan before melting the butter & adding in the bacon and let it cook for five minutes or so

Add the onion & garlic and stir it into the bacon, followed by the celery

The mushrooms then join the pan before the bay leaves and leave to cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently

The heat gets turned up & next in goes the meat, break it up & then leave to colour without stirring for a good few minutes to brown before turning the mince over & continue to let it brown all over

Next, the tomatoes & stock go in plus some seasoning before letting the pot come to the boil

Turn the heat right down & partially cover with a lid to "putter away" (Nigel's lovely description) for about an hour

Nigel suggests serving this with pasta, crispy polenta or potatoes.

I went with a Red Potato mash.

A buttery one. 

It was a real feelgood meal. 

Oh, & there's another helping to be savoured this evening.

AMM