Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium leek, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 pounds ground (minced) chuck (20% fat)
2 canned whole plum tomatoes or 1/4 cup canned chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth (optional)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Four 3/4-inch thick slices Pullman loaf or wheat bread
4 tablespoons beef drippings or pan sauce from a roast (or softened butter, in a pinch)
finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Method

  1. Make the beef mince. In a large skillet (frying pan), heat the oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, leek, carrot, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, 5-6 minutes.
  3. Crumble the beef into the pan and stir to mix it into the vegetables and break up the meat. Cook, stirring often, until the beef loses its pink color, 8-10 minutes.
  4. Crush the whole tomatoes in your hand and over the pan. While stirring, add the oats, followed by the Worcestershire sauce, and finally the wine. The sauce should be loose and thick (like lava). If the sauce is too thick, add enough chicken stock to make it lava-like.
  5. Stir in the salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding stock if the pan goes dry, until the mixture looks rich and creamy and the fat separates out from the meat and rests at the surface of the mince, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
  6. Toast the bread.
  7. Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler to high.
  8. Spread the beef drippings over one side of each slice, then place the toast on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until bubbling, 1-2 minutes.
  9. Serve with the mince spooned over the toast and finish with parsley, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Chef Fergus Henderson

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