Serves 3
2 short ribs of beef
300g piece of a stewing cut of beef (I used a very well marbled bit of flank)
3 firm medium onions
1 450g btl of 'best' type bitter ale
Vegetable oil
Butter
2 tsp Worcester sauce
1 bay leaf
100g mushrooms
Salt, pepper, 1 clove head
Heat two frying pans. Add oil and butter to each. Slice onions finely and evenly across the grain and brown them in the larger of the pans, without seasoning, over a high heat, until crisply darkened. Stir regularly so they don't burn.
In the smaller pan (add less butter) brown the meat well. Once the meat is browned, add both meat and onions to a small casserole dish and pour the ale into the beef frying pan. Scrape the residues of caramelisation into the liquid as it bubbles over the heat, then pour into the casserole. Don't season. Top up with water if required to almost cover the meat.
Bring up to a simmer. Skim off any scum that arises. Place a circle of greaseproof paper or tin foil over the contents of the casserole, place on the lid and simmer very gently for at least 3 hours.
Slice and saute the mushrooms over a high heat until liquid is released and almost evaporated. Add to the casserole. Season well including crushing the clove head. Skim off excess fat with a spoon. Remove the bay leaf. Remove the bones, slice the beef, Simmer uncovered for a further 20mins to reduce the sauce.
Welcome to the blog! I write recipes here for things I have cooked, trying to include useful information.
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 November 2018
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Short rib of beef... pie
The inspiration behind cooking this was a lovely looking section of short rib of beef in my butcher's. It is a cut which I understand Mario Batali was very keen on while running a restaurant in New York. Some might find it almost too meltingly fatty, in a pie, in which case I might recommend feather blade steak. Maybe give it a go and decide for yourself. One nice thing about short rib is it comes in a handy shape for both browning quickly and evenly, and then sitting in the base of a casserole while braising. With two sections of bone within, it was around 6''x6''x2'', possibly 900g in all.
Serves 4 (Approx.)
1 piece short rib of beef or equivalent (see above)
3 onions
3 sticks celery
2 carrots
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3/4 bottle of red wine (I used a South African syrah which I would recommend)
1 tsp tomato puree
Handful of thyme, tied with string
1 tsp Worcester sauce
25g butter
1 level desertspoon plain flour
Salt and pepper
Pre-prepared (bought) puff pastry
Egg to glaze
Start by browning the rib thoroughly on all sides, in a heavy frying pan, over a medium/high heat, in plain oil, without seasoning.
Meanwhile fry the vegetables, chopped into circa 2cm bits, in a large casserole, again in flavourless oil, aiming to colour the vegetables as opposed to sweating them to being translucent. So do over a high heat and don't stir too regularly.
Add the rib to the casserole. Dispose of oil in the frying pan. If there are nice browning bits attached to the base of the pan then pour the wine in the frying pan, scrape the bottom over a heat then pour into the casserole. Otherwise just pour the wine straight in. Add a glass of water if you think needed.
Add the teaspoon of tomato puree and the bouquet of thyme. Simmer uncovered for around 5 mins to evaporate the alcohol and skim off any scum that arises. Fold a piece of tin foil to sit over the meat/liquid inside the casserole while braising, which helps focus the heat and minimise evaporation.
Place in an oven at 120C for 5 hours minimum.
Remove from the oven and place on a very low flame. Fish out the meat to a board. Skim off excess fat from the casserole and simmer to reduce if needed. Remove the bones from the meat. If you like, remove particularly fatty bits also - your preference. Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over a low heat for around a minute, whisking all the time as it bubbles. Ladle in some of the liquid/vegetables, whisking well after each ladle. Not sure of exact quantity... right amount for the meat you have and pie dish you want to use. Maybe 750ml of liquid/veg.
Add the Worcester sauce, salt and pepper very generously, simmer for five minutes, then add the meat and simmer for another minute.
Pour into your pie dish. Top with the puff pastry, using beaten egg and a pastry brush to stick the pastry to the dish. If you like you can make a border of pastry around the dish before placing the full layer on top of this.
Brush with beaten egg, make a hole for ventilation, and bake at 200C for around 30mins or until the pasty is well flaked and deep golden brown.
Serves 4 (Approx.)
1 piece short rib of beef or equivalent (see above)
3 onions
3 sticks celery
2 carrots
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3/4 bottle of red wine (I used a South African syrah which I would recommend)
1 tsp tomato puree
Handful of thyme, tied with string
1 tsp Worcester sauce
25g butter
1 level desertspoon plain flour
Salt and pepper
Pre-prepared (bought) puff pastry
Egg to glaze
Start by browning the rib thoroughly on all sides, in a heavy frying pan, over a medium/high heat, in plain oil, without seasoning.
Meanwhile fry the vegetables, chopped into circa 2cm bits, in a large casserole, again in flavourless oil, aiming to colour the vegetables as opposed to sweating them to being translucent. So do over a high heat and don't stir too regularly.
Add the rib to the casserole. Dispose of oil in the frying pan. If there are nice browning bits attached to the base of the pan then pour the wine in the frying pan, scrape the bottom over a heat then pour into the casserole. Otherwise just pour the wine straight in. Add a glass of water if you think needed.
Add the teaspoon of tomato puree and the bouquet of thyme. Simmer uncovered for around 5 mins to evaporate the alcohol and skim off any scum that arises. Fold a piece of tin foil to sit over the meat/liquid inside the casserole while braising, which helps focus the heat and minimise evaporation.
Place in an oven at 120C for 5 hours minimum.
Remove from the oven and place on a very low flame. Fish out the meat to a board. Skim off excess fat from the casserole and simmer to reduce if needed. Remove the bones from the meat. If you like, remove particularly fatty bits also - your preference. Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over a low heat for around a minute, whisking all the time as it bubbles. Ladle in some of the liquid/vegetables, whisking well after each ladle. Not sure of exact quantity... right amount for the meat you have and pie dish you want to use. Maybe 750ml of liquid/veg.
Add the Worcester sauce, salt and pepper very generously, simmer for five minutes, then add the meat and simmer for another minute.
Pour into your pie dish. Top with the puff pastry, using beaten egg and a pastry brush to stick the pastry to the dish. If you like you can make a border of pastry around the dish before placing the full layer on top of this.
Brush with beaten egg, make a hole for ventilation, and bake at 200C for around 30mins or until the pasty is well flaked and deep golden brown.
Wednesday, 6 July 2016
Italian beef stew with vegetables
1 btl red
400g large diced feather blade steak (or another stewing cut that you like)
4 small onions, peeled whole and quatered leaving the root intact (or just very small onions peeled and left whole)
2 sticks celery, cut into 1.5 inch lengths, then each lenth cut into 3 or 4 batons
2 medium carrots, peeled, qartered lengthwise and again cut into 1.5 inch lengths
4 tomatoes, halved, seasoned, oiled and roasted at 150C for approx 1 hr.
1 tbsp herbes de provence
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree/concentrate
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
Butter
To cook this in a minimum of time you need to be using two pans from the off: A wide frying pan and a stew pot. Heat a film of oil with a small amount of butter in both.
I feel a preliminary marinating phase is pretty optional here, particularly if it will sit in the fridge for a day or two between having been made and serving.
Sweat the onions in the stew pot over a moderate/high heat. When they are softened and a little coloured, add the celery, saute again for around 5 minutes then add the carrots.
Meanwhile fry the beef in batches in the pan over a high heat, aiming to well colour each surface of each cube, spacing them out as you fry, and not burn too many fragments. Remove to a dish when done. If the meat has large sinew threads going through it, then when dicing it you can try to dice it along these lines then cut out some of the sinew once it is on the surface of a cube. This is one advantage of buying the meat in a whole peice.
Add the herbes de provence to the veg pot, along with the chopped garlic. Stir for 3 seconds. Add the tomato puree. Cook until it has lost its red raw colour. Add the reserved and browned meat.
Empty excess fat from the frying pan and pour the bottle of wine into this (assuming it fits) over the heat. Scrape the base of the pan well and let the wine bubble, then empty into the pot. Add boiling water to cover if needed.
Season only lightly and bring to a simmer. Skim off any scum that arises to the surface. Adjust the heat (or lid's adjarness) to a very low simmer and leave to cook for around 1.5 hours. At this point add the roasted tomatoes then cook for another 1.5 hours. Don't be afraid to cook it for longer if it looks like it needs it, particularly if the meat is well interlaced with fat.
Just before serving add the frozen peas and simmer for a while to cook them. Taste, season generously with both salt and pepper, spoon off any excess fat from the surface (if needed; some is fine) and you can always leave the lid off to let it reduce for a while also.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. It sounds like a bit of an effort when you describe it like this but it really isn't, particularly as it needs no other vegetable accompaniment. If you make it carefully with nice meat, and I do recommend trying to find feather blade steak, then nothing could be nicer.
400g large diced feather blade steak (or another stewing cut that you like)
4 small onions, peeled whole and quatered leaving the root intact (or just very small onions peeled and left whole)
2 sticks celery, cut into 1.5 inch lengths, then each lenth cut into 3 or 4 batons
2 medium carrots, peeled, qartered lengthwise and again cut into 1.5 inch lengths
4 tomatoes, halved, seasoned, oiled and roasted at 150C for approx 1 hr.
1 tbsp herbes de provence
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree/concentrate
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
Butter
To cook this in a minimum of time you need to be using two pans from the off: A wide frying pan and a stew pot. Heat a film of oil with a small amount of butter in both.
I feel a preliminary marinating phase is pretty optional here, particularly if it will sit in the fridge for a day or two between having been made and serving.
Sweat the onions in the stew pot over a moderate/high heat. When they are softened and a little coloured, add the celery, saute again for around 5 minutes then add the carrots.
Meanwhile fry the beef in batches in the pan over a high heat, aiming to well colour each surface of each cube, spacing them out as you fry, and not burn too many fragments. Remove to a dish when done. If the meat has large sinew threads going through it, then when dicing it you can try to dice it along these lines then cut out some of the sinew once it is on the surface of a cube. This is one advantage of buying the meat in a whole peice.
Add the herbes de provence to the veg pot, along with the chopped garlic. Stir for 3 seconds. Add the tomato puree. Cook until it has lost its red raw colour. Add the reserved and browned meat.
Empty excess fat from the frying pan and pour the bottle of wine into this (assuming it fits) over the heat. Scrape the base of the pan well and let the wine bubble, then empty into the pot. Add boiling water to cover if needed.
Season only lightly and bring to a simmer. Skim off any scum that arises to the surface. Adjust the heat (or lid's adjarness) to a very low simmer and leave to cook for around 1.5 hours. At this point add the roasted tomatoes then cook for another 1.5 hours. Don't be afraid to cook it for longer if it looks like it needs it, particularly if the meat is well interlaced with fat.
Just before serving add the frozen peas and simmer for a while to cook them. Taste, season generously with both salt and pepper, spoon off any excess fat from the surface (if needed; some is fine) and you can always leave the lid off to let it reduce for a while also.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. It sounds like a bit of an effort when you describe it like this but it really isn't, particularly as it needs no other vegetable accompaniment. If you make it carefully with nice meat, and I do recommend trying to find feather blade steak, then nothing could be nicer.
Monday, 14 December 2015
Minestrone soup (2 stage)
Basically you boil/poach the meat first then make a soup with the meat and the stock...
Serves c.8 generously
Full ingredients list
1 bacon hock (preferred), or 1 very large slice (300g) of slab bacon (like unsliced streaky bacon; not pancetta)
300g of stewing steak (eg. skirt; chuck; brisket)
1/2 btl red wine
5 onions
4 carrots
1 thing of celery
4 cloves garlic
2 cans whole plum tomatoes
Large bunch of thyme
1/2 spring or other tender cabbage
Handful green beans
Handful garden peas (assuming frozen here)
c. 100g small pasta shapes eg. little stars or orzo
3 tbsp very finely chopped flat leaf parsley (measured when chopped)
4tbsp vegetable oil
100g butter
To serve:
Grated parmesan cheese; extra virgin olive oil; ground black pepper
Stage 1
Place the bacon in a small pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Boil for roughly 5-10 minutes. This is to rid the joint of excess saltiness and is a vital (and easy) step. Dump it into a sink, wash it with cold water.
Place the bacon, beef, and some of the stock vegetables, all finely sliced, in a snug pot. Ie. 3 onions; 2 carrots; 3 sticks celery; all the thyme. Add a bay leaf/parsley stalks/whatever else you have. Pour over the wine and top up with cold water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer off any scum that arises then adjust to a very slow simmer. It takes time to adjust it to the right level, over the heat, because if your heat is at its lowest level the boil will be very sensitive to exactly how 'ajar' the lid is. Poach like this for 4 hours.
Stage 2
Empty the above into a colander over a bowl once cooled for 20 minutes. It's practical here to put the liquid and meat (separated) in the fridge until the next day. Discard all the other vegetables in the stock.
Chop all the remaining vegetables finely. In the vegetable oil sweat them adding each five minutes after the last in the following order: Onions; celery; carrots; garlic (briefly) then add the canned tomatoes. Slice these against the back of a wooden spoon. Cook like this for 5 minutes. Chop the meat small then add this along with the stock. Add more liquid if you think there isn't enough (this is bulk cooking!), and cook at this point for 1 hour.
Add the cabbage, finely shredded, and green beans cut into 1cm lengths. Simmer another 20 minutes.
Add the pasta shapes and when they are nearly done add the frozen peas which only need to simmer briefly.
Add the chopped parsley at the very last moment and season well with salt and pepper. You can also adjust the flavour with sugar if there is insufficient sweetness or red wine vinegar for acidity.
Top each serving with grated parmesan cheese, and pour a little extra virgin olive oil over then finish with extra pepper. Should work!
Serves c.8 generously
Full ingredients list
1 bacon hock (preferred), or 1 very large slice (300g) of slab bacon (like unsliced streaky bacon; not pancetta)
300g of stewing steak (eg. skirt; chuck; brisket)
1/2 btl red wine
5 onions
4 carrots
1 thing of celery
4 cloves garlic
2 cans whole plum tomatoes
Large bunch of thyme
1/2 spring or other tender cabbage
Handful green beans
Handful garden peas (assuming frozen here)
c. 100g small pasta shapes eg. little stars or orzo
3 tbsp very finely chopped flat leaf parsley (measured when chopped)
4tbsp vegetable oil
100g butter
To serve:
Grated parmesan cheese; extra virgin olive oil; ground black pepper
Stage 1
Place the bacon in a small pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Boil for roughly 5-10 minutes. This is to rid the joint of excess saltiness and is a vital (and easy) step. Dump it into a sink, wash it with cold water.
Place the bacon, beef, and some of the stock vegetables, all finely sliced, in a snug pot. Ie. 3 onions; 2 carrots; 3 sticks celery; all the thyme. Add a bay leaf/parsley stalks/whatever else you have. Pour over the wine and top up with cold water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer off any scum that arises then adjust to a very slow simmer. It takes time to adjust it to the right level, over the heat, because if your heat is at its lowest level the boil will be very sensitive to exactly how 'ajar' the lid is. Poach like this for 4 hours.
Stage 2
Empty the above into a colander over a bowl once cooled for 20 minutes. It's practical here to put the liquid and meat (separated) in the fridge until the next day. Discard all the other vegetables in the stock.
Chop all the remaining vegetables finely. In the vegetable oil sweat them adding each five minutes after the last in the following order: Onions; celery; carrots; garlic (briefly) then add the canned tomatoes. Slice these against the back of a wooden spoon. Cook like this for 5 minutes. Chop the meat small then add this along with the stock. Add more liquid if you think there isn't enough (this is bulk cooking!), and cook at this point for 1 hour.
Add the cabbage, finely shredded, and green beans cut into 1cm lengths. Simmer another 20 minutes.
Add the pasta shapes and when they are nearly done add the frozen peas which only need to simmer briefly.
Add the chopped parsley at the very last moment and season well with salt and pepper. You can also adjust the flavour with sugar if there is insufficient sweetness or red wine vinegar for acidity.
Top each serving with grated parmesan cheese, and pour a little extra virgin olive oil over then finish with extra pepper. Should work!
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Grill to oven cote-de-boeuf
I feel slightly bad having negotiated a discount for this piece of meat on the basis it was an uncookable shape. This turned out to be very much not the case at all.
Cote de boeuf just means a slice of bone-in rib of beef. In this case extra thick, around 2 inches.
Grill to oven cote-de boeuf, new potato wedges
Quarter new potatoes lengthwise into wedges, toss in vegetable oil, salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes at 175C, mixing around every 15 minutes.
Pour some oil onto a plate, add salt and pepper then roll the meat around it to coat.
Leave the grill pan to get hot.
Lay on the beef. Sear well over a high, but not too high heat. You can listen and smell for the right intensity.
Lift up with a pair of tongs and hold up briefly to get the heat back into the pan. Lay down again and just sear the other side.
At this point the meat is nowhere near cooked through so the next phase is to just place the whole tray in the oven for 8 minutes while the wedges are in there also. After 8 minutes if you press the meat with the point of a knife it will feel springy and tense like a balloon. So now you remove it to a board to relax and rest for a good 10 minutes, during which time the heat will spread through the steak, the muscle fibres will all relax and juices will seep out of the meat and gather on the surface.
Slice with a sharp carving knife and enjoy.
I made some salsa verde to go with it but it was completely unneeded. It was just beautiful to eat all alone off a hot plate, with a glass of wine and a pile of salt in the corner.
Cote de boeuf just means a slice of bone-in rib of beef. In this case extra thick, around 2 inches.
Grill to oven cote-de boeuf, new potato wedges
Quarter new potatoes lengthwise into wedges, toss in vegetable oil, salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes at 175C, mixing around every 15 minutes.
Pour some oil onto a plate, add salt and pepper then roll the meat around it to coat.
Leave the grill pan to get hot.
Lay on the beef. Sear well over a high, but not too high heat. You can listen and smell for the right intensity.
At this point the meat is nowhere near cooked through so the next phase is to just place the whole tray in the oven for 8 minutes while the wedges are in there also. After 8 minutes if you press the meat with the point of a knife it will feel springy and tense like a balloon. So now you remove it to a board to relax and rest for a good 10 minutes, during which time the heat will spread through the steak, the muscle fibres will all relax and juices will seep out of the meat and gather on the surface.
Slice with a sharp carving knife and enjoy.
I made some salsa verde to go with it but it was completely unneeded. It was just beautiful to eat all alone off a hot plate, with a glass of wine and a pile of salt in the corner.
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Barbequed sirloin steaks
I very much enjoy meat at room temperature. Quality meat that is. The look of it, the feel of it and the way it moves.
The photo below isn't great but if you click on it then it will enlarge. You can see in it the searing you want to create from the fierce and dry heat, and the grill bars themselves. This is how I went about it in full.
Obtain best quality thick sirloin steaks. Leave on the side in your kitchen all morning/afternoon/day in a bag to come to room temperature. Remove from bag, pad with kitchen paper and leave out again for an hour or so to nicely dry.
To leave the inside of the steak rare and char the outside, while the steak is at room temperature, will require a severe heat. I built a fire from charcoal and split logs, and when the flames had died down arranged the logs into a circular ring that the grill actually sat on, above white charcoal in the middle.
Do clean the grill beforehand and leave it for five minutes to get really hot.
With a sharp knife, make one or two cuts vertically through the edging of fat and membrane beneath. This is to avoid the steak distorting when the fat shrinks up. Rub the steak with a little oil and season.
Lay on the grill. You will have to judge the timing yourself but if the heat is right it's not going to take very long at all. Maybe a minute on each side would be fine. Each time you grill a steak like this get into the habit of prodding it to feel how well done it is, and over time you will get the hang of it.
Turn the steak only once to avoid losing juices gathering on the surface. Remove to a wooden board to rest for a few minutes. Season again then serve.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the ultimate match for this.
The photo below isn't great but if you click on it then it will enlarge. You can see in it the searing you want to create from the fierce and dry heat, and the grill bars themselves. This is how I went about it in full.
Obtain best quality thick sirloin steaks. Leave on the side in your kitchen all morning/afternoon/day in a bag to come to room temperature. Remove from bag, pad with kitchen paper and leave out again for an hour or so to nicely dry.
To leave the inside of the steak rare and char the outside, while the steak is at room temperature, will require a severe heat. I built a fire from charcoal and split logs, and when the flames had died down arranged the logs into a circular ring that the grill actually sat on, above white charcoal in the middle.
Do clean the grill beforehand and leave it for five minutes to get really hot.
With a sharp knife, make one or two cuts vertically through the edging of fat and membrane beneath. This is to avoid the steak distorting when the fat shrinks up. Rub the steak with a little oil and season.
Lay on the grill. You will have to judge the timing yourself but if the heat is right it's not going to take very long at all. Maybe a minute on each side would be fine. Each time you grill a steak like this get into the habit of prodding it to feel how well done it is, and over time you will get the hang of it.
Turn the steak only once to avoid losing juices gathering on the surface. Remove to a wooden board to rest for a few minutes. Season again then serve.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the ultimate match for this.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Beef rillettes salad with rocket and orange
This is, in a word, delicious.
Simple Beef Rillettes
Some stewing beef, cubed
A good number of cloves of garlic, unpeeled
A large bunch of rosemary or thyme
Generous amount of salt
Red wine to cover (add a bit of water if you like)
Extra virgin olive oil
Ground pepper
Throw the first five ingredients into a snug pot, bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. This will drive off the alcohol and allow the scum to gather on the surface. Skim off that scum, cover with a lid, turn the heat down very low and leave for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and leave for a further 20 minutes.
Remove all the contents from the liquid with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Discard the herbs and most of the garlic, but squeeze a couple of cloves back into the bowl. Shred the beef with two forks.
Boil the liquid remaining in the pot hard to reduce by about 2/3rds. Combine with the beef, add some extra virgin olive oil and plenty of black pepper. Leave to cool then place in the fridge to mature for a day or two, if possible. Note that dishes to be served chilled must be seasoned more strongly than if they were to be served warm.
For the salad
Salad leaves, or rocket alone if you like it
Orange segments (see below)
Other salad ingredients of your choice, optional, but could include cherry tomatoes or cooked green beans
You can make nice orange segments easily by cutting the top and bottom off an orange, placing on a flat surface then slicing off rind and pith top to bottom in curves. Then slice either side of adjoining lines to create segments.
To make the salad, place a bed of salad leaves on a plate, some beef on top, and strew some orange segments around. Dress with a little more olive oil and black pepper. Very tasty.
In the photo is a variation where some beef rillettes have been tossed in a garlicky olive oil vinaigrette with roasted red peppers, cooked green beans and rocket.
To roast the peppers, wash and half them then use a small paring knife to trim out the white pith inside. Dry them, rub with vegetable oil then grill at a 10cm distance from a grill until blackened thoroughly. If they aren't cooked enough, and they do need to be at the right point of softness, then you can shut the oven door and whack the oven on for a bit. Place in a plastic bag to cool, during which time the skins will continue to steam off the peppers. Remove and discard the skins, and slice into strips.
The juices in the bag can be added to the salad, which will need more garlic and salt than usual with these peppers added. It's a great bit of technique to know and can be done on a bbq in its early, very hot stage.
Simple Beef Rillettes
Some stewing beef, cubed
A good number of cloves of garlic, unpeeled
A large bunch of rosemary or thyme
Generous amount of salt
Red wine to cover (add a bit of water if you like)
Extra virgin olive oil
Ground pepper
Throw the first five ingredients into a snug pot, bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. This will drive off the alcohol and allow the scum to gather on the surface. Skim off that scum, cover with a lid, turn the heat down very low and leave for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and leave for a further 20 minutes.
Remove all the contents from the liquid with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Discard the herbs and most of the garlic, but squeeze a couple of cloves back into the bowl. Shred the beef with two forks.
Boil the liquid remaining in the pot hard to reduce by about 2/3rds. Combine with the beef, add some extra virgin olive oil and plenty of black pepper. Leave to cool then place in the fridge to mature for a day or two, if possible. Note that dishes to be served chilled must be seasoned more strongly than if they were to be served warm.
For the salad
Salad leaves, or rocket alone if you like it
Orange segments (see below)
Other salad ingredients of your choice, optional, but could include cherry tomatoes or cooked green beans
You can make nice orange segments easily by cutting the top and bottom off an orange, placing on a flat surface then slicing off rind and pith top to bottom in curves. Then slice either side of adjoining lines to create segments.
To make the salad, place a bed of salad leaves on a plate, some beef on top, and strew some orange segments around. Dress with a little more olive oil and black pepper. Very tasty.
 |
| Variation: with roasted red peppers, green beans and rocket (see below) |
In the photo is a variation where some beef rillettes have been tossed in a garlicky olive oil vinaigrette with roasted red peppers, cooked green beans and rocket.
To roast the peppers, wash and half them then use a small paring knife to trim out the white pith inside. Dry them, rub with vegetable oil then grill at a 10cm distance from a grill until blackened thoroughly. If they aren't cooked enough, and they do need to be at the right point of softness, then you can shut the oven door and whack the oven on for a bit. Place in a plastic bag to cool, during which time the skins will continue to steam off the peppers. Remove and discard the skins, and slice into strips.
The juices in the bag can be added to the salad, which will need more garlic and salt than usual with these peppers added. It's a great bit of technique to know and can be done on a bbq in its early, very hot stage.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Bavette steak and compound butter
Unusually for such a cheap cut, bavette steak can be cooked quickly with great success. But a few tricks can improve things greatly. You should marinate the meat for at least 24 hours, and the acid in the onion will help tenderise the steak. Bavette does however need to be served rare or medium rare or it will be tough. If you prefer well done steaks then this is just not one for you. Lastly if you slice the steak across the grain after resting it will be much nicer to eat.
I have also seen a recipe for steak tartare using bavette, first sliced very thinly across the grain, so all in all it's a winner. It sometimes goes by the name of skirt steak in the UK, and is similar to the onglet cut.
Bavette Steak
Serves 4
1/2 onion, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped (not too fine otherwise the bits will be hard to scrape off and will burn)
100ml light olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tsp thyme leaves
4 x 175g bavette steaks, sufficiently aged (leave in the fridge for a bit if not), excess membrane removed and cut to a 1 inch thickness if needed.
Marinate the steaks in the above for 24 hours minimum in the fridge. Remove from the fridge at least an hour before cooking, scrape off the marinade, rub with olive oil, salt lightly and lay on a board to allow to come to room temperature.
Leave a heavy pan or ridged grill over a high heat for 5 minutes to heat up. Lay the steak in the hot pan. Leave for around 3 minutes, turning down the heat if burning. Turn, season, and leave again for another 3 minutes. Turn up the heat if needed to sear the other side. 3 minutes a side is an estimate. You must prod it with a finger to test, and since it needs to be rare it must be fairly soft to the touch. If you prod and feel carefully each time you will get the feel for it as you cook successive steaks. All I would say is this: you need to sear it, but you also need to cook it slightly so it is not completely blue. Remove to a board, season again and leave to rest for 4 minutes.
Using a sharp knife slice vertically down through the steak, across the grain, into approx 8mm slices. Serve with chips, salad and the butter spooned over. You may not need any extra sauce.
Compound Butter
This is very much a theme to be improvised around. Horseradish and mustard; coriander, lime and Chinese five spice... go for it.
80g butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
100ml white wine
lemon juice to taste
finely chopped parsley
salt
pepper
Dice the butter into 1cm cubes then leave for 20 minutes to come to room temperature. Beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon or a whisk in a sizeable bowl, until it has lightened in colour and doubled in volume. Alternatively do in a food mixer. This will give the butter body.
Put the white wine, shallot, garlic and some lemon juice in a small pan and simmer until most of the liquid has gone. Allow to cool then mix into the butter with the parsley, salt and pepper.
Melt gently in a saucepan, stirring, to keep the sauce's body, or use to gently deglaze the steak pan after having poured off any excess oil. Taste once melted and correct for lemon, salt and pepper.
I have also seen a recipe for steak tartare using bavette, first sliced very thinly across the grain, so all in all it's a winner. It sometimes goes by the name of skirt steak in the UK, and is similar to the onglet cut.
Bavette Steak
Serves 4
1/2 onion, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped (not too fine otherwise the bits will be hard to scrape off and will burn)
100ml light olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tsp thyme leaves
4 x 175g bavette steaks, sufficiently aged (leave in the fridge for a bit if not), excess membrane removed and cut to a 1 inch thickness if needed.
Marinate the steaks in the above for 24 hours minimum in the fridge. Remove from the fridge at least an hour before cooking, scrape off the marinade, rub with olive oil, salt lightly and lay on a board to allow to come to room temperature.
Leave a heavy pan or ridged grill over a high heat for 5 minutes to heat up. Lay the steak in the hot pan. Leave for around 3 minutes, turning down the heat if burning. Turn, season, and leave again for another 3 minutes. Turn up the heat if needed to sear the other side. 3 minutes a side is an estimate. You must prod it with a finger to test, and since it needs to be rare it must be fairly soft to the touch. If you prod and feel carefully each time you will get the feel for it as you cook successive steaks. All I would say is this: you need to sear it, but you also need to cook it slightly so it is not completely blue. Remove to a board, season again and leave to rest for 4 minutes.
Using a sharp knife slice vertically down through the steak, across the grain, into approx 8mm slices. Serve with chips, salad and the butter spooned over. You may not need any extra sauce.
Compound Butter
This is very much a theme to be improvised around. Horseradish and mustard; coriander, lime and Chinese five spice... go for it.
80g butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
100ml white wine
lemon juice to taste
finely chopped parsley
salt
pepper
Dice the butter into 1cm cubes then leave for 20 minutes to come to room temperature. Beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon or a whisk in a sizeable bowl, until it has lightened in colour and doubled in volume. Alternatively do in a food mixer. This will give the butter body.
Put the white wine, shallot, garlic and some lemon juice in a small pan and simmer until most of the liquid has gone. Allow to cool then mix into the butter with the parsley, salt and pepper.
Melt gently in a saucepan, stirring, to keep the sauce's body, or use to gently deglaze the steak pan after having poured off any excess oil. Taste once melted and correct for lemon, salt and pepper.
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| This had actually marinated for 4 days |
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The rest
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Thursday, 19 May 2011
Spaghetti Bolognese
There has been a request for Bolognese. This superb recipe comes from Marcella Hazan's The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, and creates something very special from everyday ingredients through clever - essential indeed - technique. The final mashing process is my only addition. It means you don't have to chop the veg so fine at the start.
Many Bolognese recipes call for red wine, beef stock, browning the mince etc., which creates a richness that I can see is probably to British tastes. This on the other hand is lighter and altogther vastly refined and delicious.
Spaghetti Bolognese
350g beef mince. Or 2/3rd beef mince and 1/3rd pork mince.
250g whole milk
250ml dry white wine
25g butter
2 tbsp veg oil
3 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, outer curve peeled, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
500g tinned Italian tomatoes, chopped up, with their juice
nutmeg
Sweat the onion in the oil and butter until translucent. Add the carrot and celery and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the mince, salt to draw out the fat, and cook until it has lost its raw red colour. Season with nutmeg then pour in the milk and simmer until most of the liquid has gone. This protects the meat from the acid of the wine and tomatoes.
Pour in the wine and again simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Then add the tomatoes, and once it is simmering nicely reduce the heat very low, and leave to cook uncovered for at least three hours (it's a Saturday afternoon recipe, not Friday night), preferably more, stirring every so often. It's a good sign if the oil separates. Mash with a potato masher after around 2 hours to improve the texture, but leaving time afterwards for the oil to separate again. Season with pepper, taste for salt and stir well before serving. It needs to be seasoned generously.
Serve with al dente linguine, spaghetti, spaghettini or fresh linguine, and grated parmesan. It will mature in the fridge over several days.
Many Bolognese recipes call for red wine, beef stock, browning the mince etc., which creates a richness that I can see is probably to British tastes. This on the other hand is lighter and altogther vastly refined and delicious.
Spaghetti Bolognese
350g beef mince. Or 2/3rd beef mince and 1/3rd pork mince.
250g whole milk
250ml dry white wine
25g butter
2 tbsp veg oil
3 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, outer curve peeled, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
500g tinned Italian tomatoes, chopped up, with their juice
nutmeg
Sweat the onion in the oil and butter until translucent. Add the carrot and celery and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the mince, salt to draw out the fat, and cook until it has lost its raw red colour. Season with nutmeg then pour in the milk and simmer until most of the liquid has gone. This protects the meat from the acid of the wine and tomatoes.
Pour in the wine and again simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Then add the tomatoes, and once it is simmering nicely reduce the heat very low, and leave to cook uncovered for at least three hours (it's a Saturday afternoon recipe, not Friday night), preferably more, stirring every so often. It's a good sign if the oil separates. Mash with a potato masher after around 2 hours to improve the texture, but leaving time afterwards for the oil to separate again. Season with pepper, taste for salt and stir well before serving. It needs to be seasoned generously.
Serve with al dente linguine, spaghetti, spaghettini or fresh linguine, and grated parmesan. It will mature in the fridge over several days.
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| This was a batch of triple the quantity above |
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Steak haché
This is a superb way to use top quality beef mince, and much quicker to prepare than certain Italian derived meat sauces with tomato.
450g beef mince
1/2 onion, extremely finely chopped
1/3 tsp fine salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp very finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp vegetable oil
Mix the above in a non-reactive bowl with a metal spoon. You don't need to squelch it all up, but you can press it together with your hands. Cover with cling film and, if possible, leave at room temperature for one hour for the acid in the onion to tenderise the meat. Then shape into burgers.
Allow a grill pan to get very hot over a high heat for five minutes. Brush with veg oil then lay on the burgers. Leave for two minutes to sear and char, then turn and cook for another two minutes. If you lift the burger for ten seconds after cooking the first side, before laying it down for the second, this will allow the heat to get back into the pan to better sear the second side. You must leave it underdone for the full effect, and rest for three minutes before serving.
You can barbeque them, however the heat must be very high, and the metal bars you cook on must be pre-heated also. The heavier these are the better.
Dijon mustard for me.
Steak haché
450g beef mince
1/2 onion, extremely finely chopped
1/3 tsp fine salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp very finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp vegetable oil
Mix the above in a non-reactive bowl with a metal spoon. You don't need to squelch it all up, but you can press it together with your hands. Cover with cling film and, if possible, leave at room temperature for one hour for the acid in the onion to tenderise the meat. Then shape into burgers.
Allow a grill pan to get very hot over a high heat for five minutes. Brush with veg oil then lay on the burgers. Leave for two minutes to sear and char, then turn and cook for another two minutes. If you lift the burger for ten seconds after cooking the first side, before laying it down for the second, this will allow the heat to get back into the pan to better sear the second side. You must leave it underdone for the full effect, and rest for three minutes before serving.
You can barbeque them, however the heat must be very high, and the metal bars you cook on must be pre-heated also. The heavier these are the better.
Dijon mustard for me.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
Nothing more or less than good classical cooking, this. The three keys to the dish are to use plenty of wine, cook it for long enough, and refresh the sauce with extra wine at the end. Do these things and you can't go wrong. It seems involved at first but after you've done it once it becomes very easy, with quick stints at the stove spaced out by long periods doing something completely different.
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
Serves 5
1kg stewing beef (chuck, cap of ribeye, shin, brisket, cheek, oxtail) bought in one piece, cut into 2 inch cubes respecting the muscle structure of the meat and with excess fat removed.
1 bottle of red wine. Something costing between £4 and £6 is the right level to go for. It should have sufficient body and tannins to create a strong sauce. I use a vin de pays d'oc.
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into inch sections
a bouquet garni (a large bunch of thyme and a bay leaf tied between two halves of a celery stick)
a dash of cognac
olive oil
flour
for the garnish:
a handful of button mushrooms and button onions, or quartered regular mushrooms and a roughly diced large onion
some lardons, or sliced streaky bacon pieces
butter
Place the meat in a large bowl with the onion and carrot. Sprinkle with olive oil and the cognac, and cover with all but an inch of the wine. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature (or longer in a fridge).
Pour the contents into a colander over another bowl and heat a large, heavy based pan (not non-stick) with 3mm of veg oil in the bottom over a high heat. Dry the meat cubes on kitchen paper and brown well on all sides, in small batches. Use tongs and it may be best to cover the pan with one of those splash preventer things. Note that the final character of the dish will depend on taking this browning, and that of the onions, to just the right stage.
In a separate casserole dish, at the same time, melt some butter and sweat the onion from the marinade until well browned, seasoning with salt. Add the carrot and a tablespoon of flour. Cook over a low heat, stirring for a minute to cook out the flour. It's better to add the flour like this rather than tossing the meat in the flour, as this just resuts in browning the flour not the meat.
Pour off the oil from the meat pan into a bowl to be disposed of, then pour in the marinade liquid and scrape the base with a wooden spoon. Pour into the casserole dish with the meat and tuck in the bouquet garni. Add water if needed to cover as you can always reduce the sauce afterwards. Bring to a simmer over a moderate heat, cover with a cartouche (a piece of foil or baking parchment acting as a muffle over the stew) then the lid. Simmer for 20 minutes to be sure it is hot through, then place in the oven at 140C for 4 hours.
Remove from the oven, lift the lid and ladle or pour the contents into the colander again over a bowl. Pick out the meat and discard the rest. Add the liquid back to the casserole, bring it up to the simmer and pull the dish to the side over a low heat. A scum will gather on the side away from the heat, which you must skim off. Then reduce the sauce until it is well concentrated, and refresh with the remaining splash of red wine.
Meanwhile you will have sweated the garnish ingredients one at a time in butter. Add these with the meat to the finished sauce. Season with pepper and heat through together for 15 minutes.
Lovely with mash or parslied potatoes, green veg and carrots, and a glass of Burgundy. Maybe some wholegrain mustard too.
Boeuf a la Bourguignonne
Serves 5
1kg stewing beef (chuck, cap of ribeye, shin, brisket, cheek, oxtail) bought in one piece, cut into 2 inch cubes respecting the muscle structure of the meat and with excess fat removed.
1 bottle of red wine. Something costing between £4 and £6 is the right level to go for. It should have sufficient body and tannins to create a strong sauce. I use a vin de pays d'oc.
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into inch sections
a bouquet garni (a large bunch of thyme and a bay leaf tied between two halves of a celery stick)
a dash of cognac
olive oil
flour
for the garnish:
a handful of button mushrooms and button onions, or quartered regular mushrooms and a roughly diced large onion
some lardons, or sliced streaky bacon pieces
butter
Place the meat in a large bowl with the onion and carrot. Sprinkle with olive oil and the cognac, and cover with all but an inch of the wine. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature (or longer in a fridge).
Pour the contents into a colander over another bowl and heat a large, heavy based pan (not non-stick) with 3mm of veg oil in the bottom over a high heat. Dry the meat cubes on kitchen paper and brown well on all sides, in small batches. Use tongs and it may be best to cover the pan with one of those splash preventer things. Note that the final character of the dish will depend on taking this browning, and that of the onions, to just the right stage.
In a separate casserole dish, at the same time, melt some butter and sweat the onion from the marinade until well browned, seasoning with salt. Add the carrot and a tablespoon of flour. Cook over a low heat, stirring for a minute to cook out the flour. It's better to add the flour like this rather than tossing the meat in the flour, as this just resuts in browning the flour not the meat.
Pour off the oil from the meat pan into a bowl to be disposed of, then pour in the marinade liquid and scrape the base with a wooden spoon. Pour into the casserole dish with the meat and tuck in the bouquet garni. Add water if needed to cover as you can always reduce the sauce afterwards. Bring to a simmer over a moderate heat, cover with a cartouche (a piece of foil or baking parchment acting as a muffle over the stew) then the lid. Simmer for 20 minutes to be sure it is hot through, then place in the oven at 140C for 4 hours.
Remove from the oven, lift the lid and ladle or pour the contents into the colander again over a bowl. Pick out the meat and discard the rest. Add the liquid back to the casserole, bring it up to the simmer and pull the dish to the side over a low heat. A scum will gather on the side away from the heat, which you must skim off. Then reduce the sauce until it is well concentrated, and refresh with the remaining splash of red wine.
Meanwhile you will have sweated the garnish ingredients one at a time in butter. Add these with the meat to the finished sauce. Season with pepper and heat through together for 15 minutes.
Lovely with mash or parslied potatoes, green veg and carrots, and a glass of Burgundy. Maybe some wholegrain mustard too.
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| A variation: rolled brisket braised in a piece then sliced. No lardons in the garnish this time. |
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| Ox cheeks are very cheap. A few peices of ox tail in the braise will also add suculence. |
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