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Daube of Beef

Posted in Beef, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 9 November 2016| Leave a Comment »

Daube of Beef

This dish was traditionally cooked in a glazed clay pot. However these have successfully been replaced by cast-iron casseroles, like our favourite oval shaped one from le Creuset. It keeps the heat stable which makes it perfect for the long and slow cooking required for this dish. Very like our Chianti Beef recipe but with a few French touches.

Wine Suggestion: with a nod to the French origins of this dish we’d suggest a good Gigondas from the Rhone to match. With rich brambly fruit, good spicy tannins and a touch of elegant leathery development the Grapillon d’Or Gigondas was immensely enjoyed last time we cooked this, but other GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre) blends from around the world would work well too.

Daube of Beef – serves 6

  • 1.2kg shin of beef, cut into large pieces
  • 4 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned
  • oil for frying
  • 200g smoked bacon lardons
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 2 celery sticks, sliced thickly on a diagonal
  • 4 carrots, sliced thickly on a diagonal
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 750ml red wine
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 cloves, ground
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 strips of orange peel
  • flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Heat the oven to 150ºC/Fan 130ºC/Gas 2.

Toss the beef in the seasoned flour (we shake them together in a large freezer bag).

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large non-stick frying pan and brown the beef in batches before transferring with a slotted spoon to a large casserole dish with a lid. Add the bacon to the frying pan and cook until brown and crispy, then scoop out and add to the casserole with the beef. Cook the onions until golden and caramelised then add these to the beef. Finally fry the carrot and celery until just starting to colour. Add the garlic and cook for a minute then add to the beef. Add a splash of wine to the frying pan to deglaze, stirring to scrape any crusty bits from the bottom of the pan, then tip into the casserole. Add the rest of the wine to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomato purée, cloves, bay leaves and orange peel.

Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 2½ hours or until the meat is very tender – leave the lid off for a while at the end if you want the sauce to thicken to bit. Scatter with the parsley to finish.

(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes in BBC Olive Magazine, September, 2012).

 

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Salmon Fishcakes with Dill

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 3 May 2013| 3 Comments »

We made this when we visited Australia earlier this year from a great cookbook by Stephanie Alexander, her Kitchen Garden Companion. They go great with some new potatoes tossed with sour cream and dill for a main course.

Salmon Fishcakes with Dill – makes 8 or 24 little ones

  • 300g salmon fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tbsp double cream
  • 30g breadcrumbs (roughly 1 thick slice of bread)
  • 30g marinated goat’s cheese
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 4 tbsp chopped dill
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 20g butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Pour the cream over the breadcrumbs and leave to soak for 5 minutes.

Pulse the salmon, cream-soaked crumbs and goat’s cheese in a food processor until combined, but not reduced to a paste. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl and mix in egg yolk and dill, then season with the salt and some pepper. Cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Wet your hands and divide the mixture into 8 large or 24 bite-sized fishcakes. Roll the fishcakes in the flour.

Heat butter and oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and fry the fishcakes for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook as they are better if they stay a bit moist.

Wine Suggestion: Try to find a top-quality Australian Verdelho, with a few years of age on it. It should have mellowed and developed a honey character alongside the fresh acidity and white floral character.

(Original Recipe from Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion, Lantern, 2009.)

 

 

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Penne with a Slow-Cooked Sausage Sauce

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , on 29 March 2013| 1 Comment »

Really rich, this dish packs a punch of flavour so it’s perfect for a small starter.

Penne con Sugo di Salsiccie – serves 6-8 as a starter

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 Italian spiced, fresh pork sausages, meat removed from skins and crumbled
  • 2 small red onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 small dried chillies, crumbled (or you could use chilli flakes)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/3 bottle red wine (preferably something Italian, like a Chianti)
  • 2 x 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes, drained
  • ½ nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 120g Parmesan, freshly grated
  • 150ml double cream
  • 250g penne rigate

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the sausagemeat, stirring and breaking it up, until the juice from the meat has evaporated and the fat has started to run.

Add the onion, garlic, chilli and bay leaves and cook gently for about 30 minutes or until the onions are brown.

Pour in the wine, increase the heat and cook until it has evaporated.

Add the tomatoes, lower the heat, and simmer gently until you have a thick sauce, about 45-60 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, then add the Parmesan and cream.

Cook the penne in lots of salted water, drain well, and add to the sauce.

Wine Suggestion: We drank a delightful Langhe Nebbiolo from the Produttori del Barbaresco which went well. We’d suggest finding a red wine with a bit of acidity to cut through the richness, good tannins to counteract the protein richness, and yet not too much weight. Nebbiolo or Sangiovese …

(Original recipe from The River Café Cookbook by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, Ebury Press, 1995.)

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Turnip – the star of the show

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 18 March 2013| 2 Comments »

We love turnips (or swedes as the rest of the world calls them) and think that they deserve a bigger part of the limelight. This puts them centre stage and celebrates their earthiness and sweet character. This recipe comes from Denis Cotter, of Café Paradiso in Cork, and like many of his dishes it is pretty sweet for a savoury dish and has the potential to divide your dinner guests. Our guest is not usually a fan of turnip but she loved this dish.

Swede & Leek Gratin in Maple Cream with Sage & Walnut Crust – serves 4-6

  • 1 large swede
  • 2 leeks, halved lengthways and well washed
  • 30g butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 250ml double cream
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup

For the crust: 

  • 8 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped chives
  • 50g white bread
  • 50g walnuts
  • 30g butter

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/gas mark 2.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Peel and quarter the swede, then chop into slices about 5mm thick. Simmer in the water for 10 minutes, then remove and partly cool them in a bowl of cold water. Drain and set aside.

Chop the leeks into 2cm pieces. Melt the butter in a large pot, over a high heat, add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes. Add the thyme and white wine, and boil for 1 minute, then pour in the cream and maple syrup. Bring back to the boil and then take off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Grease an oven dish with butter and arrange a layer of swede slices on the bottom. Spoon a third of the leeks on top and cover with another layer of swede. Repeat to get 3 layers of each, finishing with the leeks. Press firmly on the top and put the dish in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

To make the crust: put the sage, chives and bread in a food processor and pulse to a fine crumb. Add the walnuts and butter and pulse briefly to chop the walnuts coarsely.

Increase the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.

Scatter the sage and walnut topping over the gratin and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Wine Suggestion: You’ll have some wine left in the bottle you used for this dish. A dry chenin would be good as it will carry the earthy and sweet characters of this dish but also has enough acidity and texture to cut through the richness.

(Original recipe form Denis Cotter’s For the Love of Food, Harper Collins, 2011.)

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Creamy Roast Chicken Risotto

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 29 October 2012| 2 Comments »

This is a fabulous recipe for left-over roast chicken and it’s even worth roasting a bird especially (though we cheated with a shop-bought rotisserie one). You can make a decent chicken stock by pouring water over the carcass and simmering it with a carrot, bay leaf and onion for half an hour.

Creamy Roast Chicken Risotto – to serve 2

  • 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 50g butter
  • small bunch of thyme leaves
  • 250g arborio rice
  • 1 litre hot chicken stock
  • 350g leftover roast chicken, torn into bite-size chunks
  • 100g crème fraîche
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • Parmesan, grated

Melt the butter in a heavy, shallow pan and cook the onion gently until soft but not coloured. Stir in the thyme leaves and the rice and stir until the rice is glistening. Add a little of the hot stock and bring slowly to the boil. Turn the heat down and gradually add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring. Stir in the roast chicken as you add the last ladleful of stock.

After about 20 minutes the rice should be tender but with a little bite to it. Stir in the crème fraîche and parsley, then some seasoning. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving with a little Parmesan grated over.

Wine Suggestion: A glass of Vintage Champagne if you’re feeling extravagant or  a good Maconnais white, like Pouilly-Fuisse or possibly even something from Roussillon like a Limoux… the choices are endless but don’t go too dry you need a bit of fruitiness here to help with the richness of the dish and a bit of body too otherwise the wine will be overwhelmed.

(Original recipe from Nigel Slater’s Real Food, Fourth Estate, 1998.)

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