She starred in six James Bond movies and was also the first female to portray the 007 series character ‘M’ in Golden Eye. She has also starred in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, My Week With Marilyn, Shakespeare In Love, The Shipping News Iris, Mrs Brown, Hamlet and the popular BBC series Cranford, to name but a few. Dame Judi is fond of a hearty, rich beef casserole after a long day on set.


Ingredients

1kg Stewing steak or thick flank, diced
1 Cup plain flour
Salt and pepper
1 Large onion
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
370g Button mushrooms, sliced
4 Bay leaves
1 Cup beef stock
1½ Cups red wine

Method:

Place the flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add the beef cubes to the flour and toss until covered. Remove from bag, shake excess flour off and keep to one side. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based casserole pot and fry the chopped onion, mushrooms and garlic for about five minutes until cooked. Add the floured beef and cook until brown. Turn the heat down, add the bay leaves, beef stock and red wine and simmer for about one hour until cooked, stirring every so often. Serve with rice, mashed potato or pasta and veggies of your choice.


Tags: Judi Dench, recipe, beef, wine, James Bond