Donna Hay Slow Cooker Recipes

Donna Hay's newest book Basics to Brilliance celebrates simple recipes and the various ways you can use them to create stunning dishes. With her basic slow-cooked beef brisket recipe, the possibilities are endless but this brisket lasagne recipe is a fantastic place to start. Comfort food perfection!

Ingredients:

For the brisket
– 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 1.5kg beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 4 pieces+
– 1 onion, finely chopped
– 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
– 1 cup (250ml) red wine
– 2 cups (500ml) beef stock
– 2 cups (500ml) water
– 3 cups (750ml) tomato puree (passata)
– 6 bay leaves
– sea salt and cracked black pepper

For the lasagne
– 3½ cups (350g) grated mozzarella
– 1¼ cups (100g) finely grated parmesan
– 4 cups (960g) fresh ricotta
– ¾ cup (180ml) milk
– 450g fresh lasagne sheets
– 1 x quantity slow-cooked beef brisket, heated through
– 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– baby basil leaves, to serve

Method:

For the brisket
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the beef and cook for 4–5 minutes each side or until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil, the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes or until softened.
4. Add the wine and cook for 3–4 minutes or until reduced by half. Add the stock, water, puree, bay leaves,salt and pepper and stir to combine. Return the beef to the pan, with any juices, and bring to a simmer.
5. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, transfer to the oven and cook, turning the beef halfway through cooking time,for 3 hours or until very tender.
6. Remove the beef from the sauce and place on a tray. Using 2 forks, shred the meat. Return the beef to the sauce and stir to combine. Remove and discard the bay leaves to serve.

For the lasagne
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the mozzarella, 1 cup (80g) of the parmesan, the ricotta and milk in a large bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
2. Line the base of a lightly greased 20cm x 30cm ovenproof dish with a layer of lasagne sheets, trimming to fit. Top with one-third of the beef and a second layer of lasagne sheets. Top with one-third of the cheese mixture.
3. Repeat the layering twice more using the remaining lasagne sheets, beef and cheese mixture.
4. Sprinkle the top layer of cheese mixture with the remaining parmesan and drizzle with the oil. Place the dish on an oven tray and bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Top with basil leaves to serve.

Donna Hay Beef Brisket Lasagne

RECIPE FROM DONNA HAY'S BASICS TO BRILLIANCE COOKBOOK

Australia's best-selling cookbook author, Donna Hay, wants to take you from basics to brilliance.

Having sold over 6 million cookbooks world-wide, Donna Hay is the authority when it comes to simple, fast and fresh food that is as beautiful as it is practical. That's why Donna is bringing it back to the basics for the launch of her 26th book Basics to Brilliance and showing readers how to master the tried and true recipes and take them to the next level.

Each basic recipe, think the perfect tender steak, golden roast chicken,crispy pork belly, sponge cake or Donna's renowned chocolate brownies, is followed by clever variations and simple flavour change-ups, so one recipe becomes many and the home chef's repertoire naturally grows.

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