Beef Semore (Thick Beef Stew)

From Robin’s Eurasian Recipes
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
3 cm piece of ginger thinly sliced
1 stick cinnamon (5cm)
10 cloves
2 star anise
3 cardamon pods
10 peppercorns
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 kg chuck tender beef, cut into 3cm cubes and marinated with 5 tbsp light soya sauce and 2 tbsp pepper for 20 mins
2 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
50ml water
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp vinegar

grind together
3 big onions
3 cm piece of ginger

Heat the oil in a pot, add the sliced onions, ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, cardamon pods, peppercorns and nutmeg. When the onions start to brown, add the ground ingredients.

When the oil rises, add the marinated beef and soya sauces. Fry the beef for about 5 minutes, then add the water and boil for another 5 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook till soft.Add the vinegar.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

My first attempt at cooking a Eurasian dish for the Eurasian gf. I think I passed…

Anyway, it’s a nice contrast to the usual western beef stews I have cooked, the taste is a lot more complex because of the combination of spices.

Steak sarnie

From Jamie Oliver’s 30-minute meals
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 x 300g (10½oz) best-quality rump steaks
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 ciabatta loaf
A small handful of jarred peppers
A couple of sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Horseradish sauce, to serve
A large handful of prewashed rocket, to serve

STEAK SARNIE: Put the steaks on a board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pick and scatter over the thyme leaves, and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the flavours into the meat, then flip over and repeat on the other side.

Pound the steaks once or twice with your fists to flatten them a little, then put them into the screaming-hot griddle pan to cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side for medium rare, or longer if you prefer. This depends on the thickness of your steaks, of course, so use your instincts and cook them to your liking. Wash your hands.

STEAK SARNIE: Put the ciabatta loaf into the bottom of the oven. Finely chop
the peppers on a large clean board. Move the steaks to the board and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Finely chop a few parsley leaves, mixing them in with the peppers and all the steak juices. Scrape the pepper mix to one side of the board. Slice up the steaks at an angle.

STEAK SARNIE: Get the ciabatta out of the oven and slice it open. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Spread over the horseradish, then arrange the rocket leaves on one half. Lay the steak slices on top.
Mix and scrape the peppers and juices from the board and scatter over the meat, then fold together and take to the table.

Beef burger with mushrooms and cheddar cheese

Ingredients

For the burger
540g/1lb 3oz minced beef chuck steak
2 tbsp paprika
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 free-range egg yolk
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
a good handful of grated mature cheddar
1 tbsp butter

To serve
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded
4 ciabatta rolls
1 beef tomato, sliced

Place all the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Using your hands, shape into four equal-sized patties. Leave in the fridge overnight to firm up the patties.

Preheat the grill to hot. Cook the burgers under the grill for 15 minutes, or until cooked through, turning once.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in butter till cooked. Add the grated cheese and cook till it’s melted.

Before serving, cut the ciabatta rolls in half and toast under the grill on both sides. Top the bottom halves of the ciabatta rolls with the lettuce, followed by a slice of tomato. Arrange the burger on the tomato. Add the cheese mushroom mixture on top of the burger. Top each burger with the other halves of the ciabatta rolls and serve.

Slow-roasted beef brisket with potatoes and onions

From The Guardian
Serves six to eight.

2kg piece boned, rolled beef brisket (fresh, not salted)
4-5 garlic cloves, bruised
Good handful of thyme sprigs
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1-1.25kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
About 400g baby onions or shallots, outer skins removed

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Put the brisket in a large roasting dish. Tuck the garlic and thyme inside and under it. Pour over two to three tablespoons of olive oil and massage into the meat, then season well. Put the meat in the oven for 20-30 minutes, then remove it. Turn down the oven to 130C/250F/gas mark 1/2 , cover the meat with foil and return to the oven for four hours.

After this time, the beef should be very tender. Baste it with its juices, add the potatoes and onions, and toss them in the fat, then turn up the heat to 170C/325F/gas mark 3 and cook, uncovered, for a further hour. Serve the beef in thick slices, with the potatoes, onions and a little of the rich cooking juices.

Chinese style braised beef one-pot

From BBC GoodFood More one-pot recipes
Serves 4
Ingredients
3-4 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
good thumb-size piece fresh root ginger , peeled and shredded
1 bunch spring onions , sliced
1 red chilli , deseeded and thinly sliced
1½ kg braising beef , cut into large pieces (I used beef brisket)
2 tbsp plain flour , well seasoned
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 star anise
2 tsp light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
3 tbsp dark soy sauce , plus more to serve
500ml beef stock

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli for 3 mins until soft and fragrant. Tip onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tbsp more oil to the pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final tbsp oil if you need to. It should take about 5 mins to brown each batch properly.

Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the gingery mix, then fry for 1 min until the spices are fragrant. Add the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high, then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.

Pour in the soy and stock (it won’t cover the meat completely), bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hrs, stirring the meat halfway through. The meat should be very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.

Beef with sticky red wine shallots

From BBC Food More One-pot Recipes
Serves 2
Ingredients

8 brown shallots , peeled and quartered but left whole at the root
2 sirloin steaks , about 175g/6oz each
crushed black peppercorns
25g butter
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
large glass red wine , about 175ml/6fl oz
150ml beef stock

Simmer the shallots in a pan of water for 2-3 mins, then drain and set aside. Season the steaks with a little salt and plenty in a pan until sizzling, then cook the steaks for 3 mins on each side for medium or until done to your liking.

Remove the steaks and keep warm. While they rest, add the remaining butter to the pan, throw in the shallots, then sizzle in the sticky pan until starting to brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and bubble for a few mins. Add the wine and boil down until sticky, then add the beef stock and simmer until everything comes together. Spoon the shallots over the steaks and serve withgreen beans and chips.

I have this personal tradition for the Christmas season.I will cook steak for Christmas Eve and Roast Chicken for Christmas Day. This is the first of the two. Very rich red wine sauce to go with the steak.

Braised oxtail

From Cook with Jamie
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 oxtail, cut into 10cm chunks
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped
1/2 bottle of white wine
1 tbsp of fennel seeds, crushed
1 tbsp juniper berries, crushed
1/2 a cinnamon stick
1 dried red chilli, crushed
sea salt and black pepper
1 large tbsp tomato puree
4 X 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
a handful of fresh sage leaves
a knob of butter
optional: Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.

Get a large ovenproof saucepan hot and add a splash of olive oil. ear the oxtail until brown on all sides, then add the celery, onion, carrot and leek. Cook gently until golden brown and add the wine and your crushed spices, cinnamon, chilli, tomato puree and tins of tomatoes. Top up with a little water – you just need enough to make sure all the meat is covered- and put a lid on. Put the pan in the oven for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and lift the meat out of the stew. When cool enough to hand, shred all the meat off the bones. Pick through the meat with your fingers to make sure that no bony bits remain, then put the meat back in the pot. Add the oregano and simmer for 15 minutes and season to taste. Fry the sage leaves in the butter until crispy and dark green, then drain them on kitchen paper. Serve the stew with some fried sage leaves.

Albondigas con Salsa de Tomate (Meatballs in tomato sauce)

From Spanish – Pepita Aris
Serves 4
Ingredients
225g minced beef
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
30ml grated fresh parmesan cheese
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tomatoes chopped
2 tbsp white wine
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
pinch of sugar
salt and ground black pepper
fresh thyme to garnish

Put the minced beef in a bowl. Add the spring onions, garlic, parmesan and thyme and plenty of salt and pepper. Stir well to combine, then shape the mixture into small firm balls.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy frying pan and cook the meatballs for about 5 minutes, turning frequently, until evenly browned all over.

Add the chopped tomatoes, wine, rosemary and sugar to the pan, with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Cover the pan and cook gently for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes are pulpy and the meatballs are cooked through. Check the sauce for seasoning and serve the meatballs hot, garnished with the thyme.

This is so easy to make and it doesn’t require egg to bind the meat together. It uses parmesan instead which I think is a much tastier alternative. I am quite happy with the meatballs, I think they are definitely better than the ones you get at La Tasca!

Ma Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐)

From Rasamalaysia.com

Ingredients

1 block silken tofu (19 oz box)
1/4 lb ground pork
3 tablespoons Sichuan spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 tablespoons chili oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (roasted and ground to powder)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon fermented black beans (rinsed and pounded)
2 stalks of leeks or scallions (chopped into 1 or 2-inch length)
2 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Cut the tofu into small pieces, drain the water from the tofu and set aside. Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chili oil. Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, spicy bean paste and stir-fry until the pork is half-done. Then add in chili powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. Gently stir and blend well. Dish out and serve hot.

I must confess I made quite a bit of modifications to this recipe. I used minced beef instead of pork, I didn’t have any scallions so I used flat leaf parsley instead (left over from the spanish fish soup). I didn’t have any Sichuan peppercorn powder (I didn’t want to buy a bottle of it from Waitrose and not use it for months and even years). Oh, and I added mushrooms and peas (left over from the braised peas and onion to make it a more balanced meal. So the final product is probably not that authentic but it suits my craving for a decent chinese meal rather than just the normal stir fries I cook every week.

Boeuf Bourguignon (Ginette Mathiot’s version)

Time: About 3 hours

1 tablespoon oil
3 ounces onions or shallots, chopped
3 1/2 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced
1 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1 1/2 -inch pieces, patted dry
Scant 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups any type of stock, hot
1 1/4 cups red wine
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs fresh thyme and 3 sprigs parsley, tied together)
Black pepper
3 1/2 ounces mushrooms, diced
Salt.
1. In a heavy pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and bacon and cook, stirring, until browned. Remove them and set aside; leave fat in pan.

2. Add beef and brown on all sides (work in two batches if needed to avoid crowding).

3. Sprinkle browned beef with flour, stir until browned and add stock. Stir, scraping bottom of pan, then add reserved bacon and onions, the wine and bouquet garni. Season with pepper.

4. Simmer very gently for 2 hours.

5. Add mushrooms and cook 30 minutes more. Season with salt and serve. Or, even better, reheat and serve the next day.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

This is way less complicated than Julia Child’s version and of course, not as delicious. However, it is still good, just not as good. But given the work that went into it, it was well worth it. I’d say, use this recipe for regular meals and JC’s version for very special dinners, like when a head of state is coming for dinner. LOL