italian beef casserole – a Leggo’s challenge
Studying and working in the advertising / marketing industries has turned me into a somewhat cynical consumer. Will that face cream really reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in only eight hours? I don’t know, but I’d highly doubt it. So when I opened my inbox to see the words “Make an Italian Beef Casserole to feed two people in under 15 minutes with Leggo’s”, I almost (almost!) laughed. But I didn’t. And, because I’m try to be as fair as I am cynical, I decided to give it a shot. (And, as a sidenote, I’ll be giving some of it away too, so you can have a shot at it yourself…)
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Winter is well and truly upon us, and oh! how the days grow short and the nights cold. And on such days (which are destined to continue for at least the next couple of months) the thought of trudging home to cook up a meal after a long day and a stinkin’ bus trip does not hold quite the same appeal as it did back in Summer. The upside? Winter comfort food, and quick qinter comfort food at that. Don’t reach for the phone and call for take out noodles, because in 25 or so minutes (15 if you have an assistant handy), you can be plated and ready for a quick, tasty and nutritionally balanced(ish) dinner in front of whatever you deem worthy of watching.
I had arrived home with pig in my bag and the family was delighted. It’s not often they are able to partake in my adventures out so this was a particular treat. “We will eat it tomorrow” declared the mother. “You won’t be home Thursday, and we’re all out Friday. Saturday people are coming here and Sunday will be too late.” I nodded, not paying much attention. “How will you cook it?” asked the sister. “I’m not sure” said I, and trotted off to bed.
It’s a funny thing, living in Australia. Hot, balmy Christmases, smattered with cracks of lightning from sudden summer storms. There are prawns on the table. Or fish. Cold cuts of ham and glasses of sparkling something. And then the days get shorter, the leaves start to fall from the few deciduous trees around the place and, before you even know it, winter has come around. And oh! How I start to think of steaming hot puddings with hard sauce, a spicy hot toddy and a stuffed bird with all the trimmings. 
There are perks to being friends with an honest-to-goodness trained-to-the-hilt chef-in-waiting. More so when said friend is working in a bistro and has a firm handle on the most important meal of all – steak. Chef Lex (as he is fondly known) & I have been friends since before he was any good at cooking. And so, when I got the message saying “Dinner. 7pm. Just come.” I was in, no questions asked. Part for the promise of catchups, and part for the promise of meals-unknown.
