Make this classic red wine beef casserole recipe

So winters almost here, cold, wet and dark early. But this gloom can by replaced by the warmth and joy of a good honest casserole gently simmering in your oven. 
Such was the day I made this one, cold southerlies and rain pouring down perfect conditions specially as I had time to hang around the kitchen for the afternoon.
Any red meat can be used for this recipe I actually prefer venison instead of the beef with the adition of a few juniper berries.
It's hard to beat a creamy mashed potato with this dish and I like some roasted brussel sprouts on the side.

Beef Casserole:
1.5 Kg   Blade or Chuck steak
              Flour
1            Carrot
2            Onions
1-2         Celery sticks
1            Bulb of garlic
5            Fresh bay leaves
6            Sprigs of thyme
2 Tlb      Tomato paste
.5           Bottle of red wine
500ml    Beef stock
1            tsp of honey or sugar
              Salt and pepper
              Italian parsley


Method:
Cut the meat into 4cm cubes and dust well with season flour.
In a hot pan with a little grape seed oil brown the meat off in 2-3 batches.
Cut the vegetables into quarters  and fry for a couple minutes with the tomato paste add them and the  meat to a casserole dish or a deep oven tray.
De glaze the meat and veg pan with the red wine by heating the liquid up to a boil then pour it into the casserole dish.
Lastly add the herbs, cover the dish and cook at 160c for 4hrs or until the meat is tender.
I remove the veg and herbs at this stage and reduce the sauce if it's a little thin. Season with salt and pepper, a little honey or sugar may be helpful to balance the sauce. sometimes tomato paste can be a little tart tasting.
Add the meat back to the sauce and serve over whipped potato and brussel sprouts sprinkled with chopped parsley.


Brussel sprouts:
Brussel sprouts
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
Butter
Olive oil
Bay leaves

Method:
Boil or steam the sprouts for 5min, strain, dry.
Place them in an oven tray with a couple knobs of butter a dash of olive oil, some sea salt and bay leaves.
Roast or grill in a hot oven until the outer leaves start to colour and crisp up around 5-10 min.