Spanish-style casserole

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 5 onions
• 125 g ham
• 3 tbsp olive oil, cold-pressed
• 750 g beef, from the leg
• ¼ liter white wine
• ¼ liter broth
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground, a few dashes of Tabasco
• 1 tsp thyme, shredded
• 2 tsp lemon zest, grated
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic
• 600 g tomatoes (or a large can of tomatoes)
• 16 olives, black
• 16 olives , Spanish green olives stuffed with peppers

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Peel the onions and slice them into rings, and cut the ham into thin strips. Fry both in 2 tablespoons of oil until translucent. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil and brown the diced meat vigorously. Dust with flour and deglaze with wine and stock. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the thyme, lemon zest, tomato paste, and crushed garlic. You can add a kick with Tabasco or cayenne pepper. Cover and simmer gently in an oven preheated to 180°C (gas mark 2) for 2 hours (I simmered it on the stovetop and it worked great). Peel the tomatoes, quarter them, and deseed them. 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time (or if using canned tomatoes), add them to the pot along with the onion and ham mixture. 10 minutes later, stir in the olives. Serve with potatoes or fresh white bread.