Steak Medici

There's nothing like a great steak with a glossy sauce to look forward to on a Saturday night.  I've cooked this for friends many times and it always goes down well long as everyone likes their steak medium rare, as I can't cook it any other way.  Creamy buttered mash and peas make wonderful bedfellows, or keep it really simple with crusty bread and a tomato salad.  Let's hope it looks as good as this photo.

Ingredients
50g butter
4 sirloin steaks cut about 2-3cm thick
225g mushrooms, sliced
A sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper
60ml of port
Chopped parsley, as garnish.

Method
Melt half the butter in a large frying pan.  If you add a teasp oil it stops the butter from burning.  When it is very hot add the steaks, two at a time and brown them on both sides.  Continue to fry according to taste, ideally 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, 5 minutes for medium.  Remove them from the pan and keep warm.  Reduce the heat and add the remaining butter to the pan.  Stir in the sliced mushrooms and season.  Cook, stirring until the mushrooms are tender but still firm.
Add the port, stirring to loosen any sediment on the bottom of the pan.  Spoon the mushroom and port mixture over the steaks and garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

Stir Fried Beef with Oyster Sauce

A friday night family favourite. It takes 10 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to marinate and 10 minutes to cook. I think it beats a takeaway on time and flavour!

Ingredients
450g lean beef steak
1 tbsp of soy sauce, ideally light soy
2 teasp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
2 teasp cornflour
3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions, as garnish
Thinly sliced red chilli with seeds removed, optional.

Method
Cut the beef into 5cm long slices that are 5mm thick approx. Cut across the grain of the meat as it makes it more tender.  Put the sliced meat in a bowl.  Mix together the meat with the soy, sesame oil, rice wine and cornflour.  Leave it to marinate for 20 minutes.  Once marinated heat your wok or large frying pan until it is piping hot and then add the groundnut oil.  When it starts to smoke slightly, add the beef slices and stir fry for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove the meat from the wok and drain well in a colander.  Throw away any remaining oil.  Wipe the wok clean and reheat on a high heat.  Add the oyster sauce and bring it to a simmer. Return the beef to the wok and toss them well with the oyster sauce.  Turn the mixture onto a serving platter, garnish with the spring onions and red chilli slices, if using then and serve immediately.  I'll be serving it with some medium egg noodles and a drizzle of sesame oil with some dark soy on the side.

Thanksgiving or Christmas Turkey with a Twist

Hey, this is different, I stumbled across this recipe in an American magazine called bon appetit and just fell in love with the idea. So, why spatchcock a turkey? 

Well, this method, which takes out the backbone so the bird can be flattened and cooked skin side up, is a game changer. Because the turkey is butterflied, there’s more surface available for even browning, and the high cooking temperature means crackly, crispy skin. Perhaps most seductive of all, a 12-pounder cooks in 90 minutes. I said 90 minutes. That’s half the time of your old-fashioned roast. So, fellow rebels, let’s spatchcock this Christmas!

How to Spatchcock a Turkey - what the heck, ask the butcher to do it for you! 

With turkey breast side down, use poultry shears (and some elbow grease) to cut along both sides of the backbone. Save it, along with the giblets, for stock. Open up the turkey and use the tip of a knife to score alongside the breast bone (the dark oblong bone in the middle of the breast). This makes it easier to flatten the bird. Turn the turkey skin side up and press down strongly with the heel of your hand on the centre of the breast. You should hear a crack and feel the bones give way.  Spatchcock done! Here's the recipe that I've anglicised  to go with your prepared bird. 

Turkey with Fennel and Orange

Ingredients

5 teaspoons fennel seeds

2 tbsp salt

¼ cup finely grated orange zest, plus 4 wide strips orange zest

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, sprig reserved

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, sprigs reserved

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 12–14-lb. turkey (neck, giblets, and backbone removed and reserved)

2 medium onions, quartered

4 large carrots, peeled, halved

4 celery stalks

3 heads garlic, halved

4 - 6 tbsp olive oil.

Method

Toast fennel seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool; finely grind in a spice mill or a mortar and pestle.

Finely chop, grated zest, sugar, chopped rosemary, thyme leaves, pepper, and 4 tsp. fennel seeds and salt in a food processor.

Place your spatchcocked turkey, skin side down, on a chopping board.  Rub all over with salt mixture; place turkey, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and chill, uncovered, 6–18 hours.

Preheat oven to 230°C. Arrange onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme and rosemary sprigs in a roasting pan. Rinse turkey, pat dry, and place, skin side up, on top of vegetables; let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil, orange zest strips, and remaining fennel in a small saucepan until oil is sizzling, about 2 minutes; let cool slightly.  Brush turkey with oil, add ½ cup water to pan, and roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C and continue to roast, brushing with oil every 20 minutes, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 74°C, about 1 hour longer. Transfer to a platter; tent with foil and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving. 

Braised Beef with Onions

This is a handed down recipe from my lovely mum and it certainly cheers up a dark and dreary evening.  Long slow simmering is essential so that the meat melts in your mouth and is full of flavour.

Ready for the oven

Ingredients for 4 people
3-4 tbsp sunflower oil
750g braising steak
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp flour mixed with pepper and salt
500 mls beef stock
Salt and pepper
A bay leaf
A dash of Lea and Perrins
Roughly chopped root vegetables, optional.

Method
Preheat the oven to 130C.  Mix the flour with the salt and pepper and coat each steak with the mixture.  Add oil to a large frying pan and then add the steaks and fry until they are golden brown on each side.  Remove them to a casserole dish.  To the dish add the sliced onions, bay, lea and perrins and extra pepper if you like.  Finally add the stock and veg (if using them) and place in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat is juicy and tender.  Beautiful comfort food served with fluffy mashed potatoes.

Perfect Pea and Ham Soup

The ham fest continues tonight and I think this will just leave enough left over gammon for tomorrow's sandwiches.  It's the simplest of soups and just needs a crusty bread roll for dunking into the bowl of loveliness.  We first tried this recipe a couple of years ago from BBC Good Food magazine and it works every time. So tonight it should look something like this. 

Ingredients

1 knob of butter, ideally unsalted

1 onion, finely chopped

1litre chicken or vegetable stock

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

500g frozen petits pois

300g thickly sliced ham, trimmed of any fat and diced

A teasp mint sauce, optional or a swirl of cream.

Method

Heat the butter in a saucepan and when lightly foaming gently cook the onions until softened, but not coloured. Tip in the potato and stir to coat in butter, then pour over the stock. Simmer until softened.

Tip in the frozen peas and bring back to the boil. Cook for a couple of mins. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in the diced ham and the serve.

Leek Ham and Potato Bake with a Creamy Sauce

Yesterday's gammon was awesome, thanks to Hubby.  Now the leftover challenge begins with a dish I first cooked as a student but in those days I used streaky bacon, as gammon was definitely outside the budget.  

Ingredients

250 mls vegetable stock

250 mls double cream

1 bay leaf

2 large knobs of butter

700g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3 leeks, washed and thinly sliced

At least 200g ham, chopped

150g mature cheddar, grated

Black pepper. 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.  Butter an oven proof dish.  Melt a second knob of butter in a large saucepan then add the leeks and bay leaf and cook stirring for 5 minutes until the leeks have softened.  Now start to create the dish by placing a layer of the potatoes in the dish, then add a layer of leeks and ham, seasoning as you go.  Continue to layer until all the ingredients are used.  Pour the hot stock over the dish.  Then bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the potatoes have softened and the top is crispy.  Finally, drizzle the cream into the dish, sprinkle with the cheese and return to the oven for 10 minutes to create a crispy top.  

Roasted Gammon with Coca Cola

Christmas is on the horizon so I've had a clear out in the freezer and Hubby is cooking a gammon as a real Sunday treat and we'll probably be eating it for the rest of the week too!  It sounds daft to use Coca cola (full fat) but it really does add something yummy to the flavour of the meat.  It's a great alternative to turkey at Christmas and really popular with Americans as they eat their fill of turkey for Thanksgiving.  

Ingredients

2 kg unsmoked boneless gammon joint

2 litres full fat Coke

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 stick celery, chopped

1 cinnamon stick

½ tbsp black peppercorns

1 bay leaf.

For the glaze

150ml honey

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

pinch of ground cloves or five-spice.

Cloves to decorate the diamond pattern.

Method

Put the gammon in a large pan and cover with Coca cola. Add the carrot, onion, celery, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer for around 2 1/2 hrs, topping up with boiling water if necessary to keep the gammon fully covered.

Carefully pour the liquid away, then let the ham cool a little while you heat the oven to 190C. Lift the ham into a roasting tin, then cut away the skin leaving behind an even layer of fat. Score the fat all over in a criss-cross pattern. Place a clove into each diamond

Mix the glaze ingredients in a jug. Pour half over the fat, roast for 15 mins, then pour over the rest and return to the oven for another 30 mins, baste half way through. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 mins, then spoon more glaze over the top. Can be roasted on the day or up to 2 days ahead and served cold.

Jerk Langoustines with Spicy Rice

It's a busy day in the garden today and I'm already looking forward to some gorgeous langoustines for supper. It needs to marinate for an hour, so that means I can watch Strictly! Thanks to Levi Roots for his marinade recipe but if you want to use Jerk seasoning from the supermarket, fill your boots as it's simple and easier that way.  See the post for the Spicy Rice posted on 18th November served with the Piri Piri Chicken.

Ingredients for the marinade
1 teasp freshly ground all spice
2 teasp ground cinnamon
1 teasp grated nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
3 teasp soft light brown sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

400g of large raw prawns or as many langoustines as you like, shell on
Lime wedges, to serve.

Method
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a shallow bowl.  Throw in the langoustines or prawns and make sure they are covered with marinade.  If you have time then leave them to brew in the fridge for an hour.  Take the shellfish out of the marinade and griddle on a medium to high heat for about 3 minutes on each side.  Once they are a deep red then serve with lime wedges and the spicy rice.

Beef Bourguignon

I'm making this beautiful classic to celebrate Hubby coming home after a week away.  I'm making it  a day in advance, and will slowly reheat it in the oven tomorrow night. You’ll find that the flavours will really develop overnight and the dish will be richer and more mature. Some creamy mash and savoy cabbage will round it all off.  Oh and a bottle of Burgundy for 2 as well please. This is a blend of a Delia and Gordon recipe that I've morphed over the years.

The end result

Ingredients

3 tbsp goose/duck fat or sunflower oil

600g braising beef, cut into large chunks

100g smoked bacon lardons or chopped streaky bacon

350g shallots or baby onions, peeled

250g chestnut mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 bouquet garni

1 tbsp tomato purée

750ml bottle red wine, Burgundy is ideal. 

Method

Heat a large oven proof dish and add 1 tbsp goose fat. Season the beef and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 mins, then turn over and fry the other side until the meat is browned all over, adding more fat if necessary. Do this in 2-3 batches, transferring the meat to a plate when browned.

In the same pan, fry the bacon, shallots or onions, mushrooms, garlic and bouquet garni until lightly browned. Mix in the tomato purée and cook for a few mins, stirring. Then return the beef and any drained juices to the pan and stir through.

Pour in the wine and about 100ml water so the meat bobs up from the liquid, but isn’t completely covered. Bring to the boil and use a tablespoon to scrape the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the dish – this will give the stew more flavour.

Heat oven to 130C.  Make a cartouche: tear off a square of foil or greaseproof papers lightly larger than the casserole, arrange it in the pan so it covers the top of the stew and trim away any excess foil. Then cook for 3 hrs. If the sauce looks watery, remove the beef and veg with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened a little, then return the beef and vegetables to the pan.  Allow to cool and then pop it in the fridge overnight if you can, it really does make a difference.

Goedemiddag Nederlands - Mustard Soup

Oh boy did we have fun in Amsterdam at the weekend.  The sight of 8 middle-aged men and women on a guided cycling tour was hilarious, especially when Hubby was caught in the tram lines!  We survived and I tried this incredible traditional Dutch soup at lunchtime on Sunday.  It is quite feisty but really warming.  The version I tried had smoked salmon added at the end of cooking but  I thought I'd try this version with bacon as well.

Ingredients for 4

Bacon lardons 150 g

1 medium-sized shallot, finely chopped

3 1/2 tbsp butter 50g

1 tbsp grainy Groninger mustard (or other grainy mustard)

1 tbsp smooth Groninger mustard (or other smooth mustard)

1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

Plain flour 50g

Chicken stock 1 litre

Cream or crème fraîche 100 ml

Salt & pepper to taste. 

Method

Fry the bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Allow to drain on kitchen paper. In a separate pot, sauté the shallot in the butter. Add mustard and mustard seed. Now add the flour and slowly pour in the stock to create a roux. Once the roux is well mixed and smooth add the remaining stock. Allow to cook for a minute or two. Now add the cream. Season and taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the crispy bacon bits and freshly chopped chives, cress or sautéed leeks.

Enjoy!