Slow Cooked Diced Wallaby and Veggie Casserole

Ingredients

· 2 celery sticks, thickly sliced

· 1 onion , chopped

· 2 really big carrots halved lengthways then very chunkily sliced

· 5 bay leaves

· 2 thyme sprigs, 1 whole and 1 leaves picked

· 1 tbsp vegetable oil

· 1 tbsp butter

· 2 tbsp plain flour

· 2 tbsp tomato purée

· 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

· 2 beef stock cubes, crumbled

· 500gms diced wallaby cut into nice large chunks

Method

1. Heat oven to 160C 2. Put 2 thickly sliced celery sticks, 1 chopped onion, 2 chunkily sliced carrots, 5 bay leaves and 1 whole thyme sprig in a flameproof casserole dish with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tbsp butter. 3. Soften for 10 mins, then stir in 2 tbsp plain flour until it doesn’t look dusty anymore, followed by 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 crumbled beef stock cubes. 4. Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, then tip in 850g diced wallaby and bring to a gentle simmer. 5. Cover and put in the oven for 2hrs 30 mins, then uncover and cook for 30mins – 1hr more until the meat is really tender and the sauce is thickened. 6. Garnish with the picked leaves of the remaining thyme sprig.