Acting as something of a food-based cheat-code, this Multi-Purpose Beef sauce will essentially form the nuts and bolts of a myriad of tasty dishes. Drop in some red wine and it becomes a Bolognese, some red kidney beans and peppers, a beef chili, or top it with some potato, a cottage pie. This recipe will effectively allow home-based cooks to whip up one big batch of beef sauce, and re-purpose it to keep their family entertained at the dinner table while avoiding repetition. In addition, it will also allow small those running small eateries to create multiple dishes efficiently and effectively, while utilizing the same base ingredients. So, get ready to dive into the best kept secret in the kitchen with Tasty Morsels’ Multi-Purpose Beef Sauce.
Multi-Purpose Beef Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1kg (2lb) Good Quality Ground Beef
- 6g (1tsp) salt
- 2g (½tsp) Black Pepper
- 30g (1oz) Olive Oil
- 90g (3oz) Plain Flour
- 300g (10oz) White Onion
- 20g (4 Cloves) Garlic (Chopped and Crushed)
- 75g (2½oz) Balsamic Vinegar
- 300g (10oz) Grated Carrot
- 200g (7oz) Celery (Finely Chopped)
- 500g (1 Pint) Chicken Stock
- 90g (3oz) Tomato Puree
- 400g (14oz) Canned Chopped Tomato
- 45g (3tbsp) Light Soy Sauce
- 45g (3tbsp) Worcestershire Sauce
- 8g (2tbsp) Fresh Thyme
- 5 Bay Leaves
- 1 Litre (2 Pints) Water
- 30g (1oz) Unsalted Butter
Instructions
- Pop 1kg of Ground Beef in a mixing bowl and season thoroughly with 6g of Salt and 2g of Black Pepper
- Place 15g of Olive Oil in a large thick-bottomed frying pan on a medium heat, then throw in the Beef when it has reached a temperature hot enough to sizzle
- Fry the Beef until the moisture has boiled off, and the meat has become slightly golden, then transfer it to a large cooking pot and completely stir in 90g of Plain Flour. Put the frying pan to one side, we'll use that again in a sec
- Next, chop 300g of White Onion as small as you can manage, then return the frying pan to a medium heat along with the remaining 15g of Olive Oil
- Once hot, toss the Onions into the hot frying pan, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Meanwhile, chop and crush 20g of Garlic, again, as small as you can manage
- When the Onions have become vaguely translucent, throw in the Garlic and fry for a further minute. Then, pour in 75g of Balsamic Vinegar and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes before dumping the whole lot in with the beef
- Next, grate 300g of Carrots, and finely chop 150g of Celery and add that to the pot along with 500g of Chicken Stock, and place it on a medium heat
- Allow the pot to bubble for around 5 minutes, then add 90g of Tomato Puree, 400g of Chopped Tomato, 45g of Light Soy Sauce, 45g of Worcestershire Sauce, 8g of Fresh Thyme, 5 Bay Leaves, a litre of Water and stir
- Reduce the stove to a low heat, just enough for the pot to bubble lightly, then cover with a lid and simmer for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally and topping with water if it begins to dry out
- After 3 hours, boil the sauce down so it is nice and thick, then add 30g of Butter, and stir until it has melted
- Give the sauce a quick taste and add salt if required
- Use the sauce for whatever purpose you see fit, or bag it in batches and freeze for up to a Month
Nutrition
Practical Uses for a Multi-Purpose Beef Sauce
Bolognese – Pop about 250g of beef sauce and 100g of red wine per person into a small saucepan. Then, heat until the liquid has completely vaporised and serve on a bed of tagliatelle.
Lasagna – Use your beef sauce as the meaty component for a wholesome lasagna. Layer it with some Béchamel sauce and pasta sheets, and you have one of the most popular dishes on the planet. Lasagna lovers should aim for around 200g of beef sauce per serving.
Cottage Pie – Layer approximately 250g of multi-purpose beef sauce per person in an oven dish and top with the same amount of lovely mashed potato. Then, bake in the oven for around 30 minutes at 200°C until the top has browned a little, and sauce starts to bubble around the edges.
Noodles – Making yourself a bowl of noodles and wondering how you can pimp up that stringy goodness, add a dollop if beef sauce into proceedings to level up your dish.
A Lovely Sandwich – Pop a bit of Multi-Purpose Beef Sauce in a sub, along with a spot of cheese, and maybe some vegetables if you’re keen, and you’ll have yourself one of the best sandwiches in town!
Beef Chili – Take around 200g of beef sauce for every starving human, and add as much chili powder as you can tolerate as well as 50g of red kidney beans per serving and a little water. Then heat until nice and hot before serving on a bed of rice with some tasty cheese on top.
Pizza – When making up one of the world’s favourite tomato and cheese bread discs, throw on a generous splattering of beef sauce for a mesmerisingly delicious evening meal.
Tacos – Add a bit of chili to your sauce, then pop it in a taco shell along with the usual vegetables and spices, and you will have yourself a tasty Mexican snack
Ensure an Even Cook with a Quality Piece of Kit
One of the most important parts of creating a great meat sauce involves using a decent thick-bottomed cooking pot. This will allow for an even distribution of heat, without resulting in the dreaded ‘burnt spot of doom’ forming in the middle of the pan. Something like this one on Amazon will do the trick, some folks will refer to it as a ‘Dutch Oven,’ however, for my dubious self, that term means something else entirely.
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