My favourite slow cooked beef...

I have used my new slow cooker quite a few times this Winter cooking up all sorts of dishes from Spanish style Chicken to Chicken Curry, Beef Stroganoff to French Style Beef Casseroles and even a Lentil Dahl and Lamb Biryani.  The ultimate casserole to me would be Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon which I will try this Winter when I have the right ingredients in the house.

Here is a link to Julia's Beef Bourguignon Recipe, a timeless classic...
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=8222804

What I have enjoyed eating the most is the following recipe, loosely based on recipes I have followed previously combined with what ingredients I actually have in the house.


Slow Cooker Beef Casserole

Ingredients
1.2 - 1.5 kgs stewing steak (I cut the steaks into fairly large chunks probably 10cm square
a couple of tablespoons of flour to coat the steak prior to browning
olive oil (enough glugs to brown the meat and veg)
2 red onions sliced
2 yellow peppers sliced (or 4 small ones)
1 courgettes sliced (or 2 small ones)
2 sticks celery finely sliced
1 can tomatoes or half a bottle of passata (about 400g)
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon mace
1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in a cup of beef stock
a couple of sprigs of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme) chopped
enough wine to cover all of the above when it's all placed in the slow cooker
salt and pepper to season

Method
Cut the meat into good sized chunk (2 inch square if you prefer smaller bits but in my case 4 inch square suits me better).  Coat the meat with flour and season with salt and pepper.  Put aside.  When I use my slow cooker I tend to brown the vegetables first and put them in the cooker before the meat.  Brown the vegetables in olive oil and place in slow cooker.  Brown the meat and put in slow cooker on top of the veg.  Add the canned tomatoes, garlic, stock, tomato paste, mace, wine and herbs to the slow cooker and grind over some black pepper and season with salt.  Switch on the slow cooker and leave until cooked.  This would usually take at least 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. 

This dish is lovely served with mash, rice or buttered noodles (fettuccine).  I also tend to enjoy such dinners with a serving of cooked greens on the side such as green beans, asparagus, peas or spinach.  But tonight I am too tired, so it's simply being dished up over some mash.

Mucho Minestrone...

What a grotty week.  I am feeling like stink, my youngest is sick again for the 3rd time in 2 months, the weather sucks, it's all so truly uninspiring.  My body is begging for healthy food but I feel so wiped out that I am finding myself over-dosing on easy access carbs and am feeling like a true fatty baloomba.  Anyway today I forced myself to make some minestrone as this really is the best you can eat in a bowl as it's loaded with veg and a bit of protein and carbs.  Just what the doctor ordered!

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
1.5 red onions diced
2 carrots diced
2 celery sticks diced
200g smoked back bacon diced with fat removed
3 cloves of garlic
2 courgettes diced
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1 glass of wine
500g chicken stock
1/2 bag frozen free flow spinach (175g)
1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
60g soup pasta (I use Ditali Lisci as it's the perfect size for this soup)

Method
Put the onions, carrots, celery, bacon and garlic in a saucepan with some olive oil and sweat over a very low heat for about 30 minutes or until soft.  The key is that the veg must be soft.  Add the courgettes, wine and tomatoes and cook for a further 30 minutes on a very low heat.  Add the stock, spinach, beans and pasta and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked.  Season to taste if necessary.  I find a good grind of black pepper and some parmesan shavings over the top equals soup perfection.

Sweet Smoked Paprika Stroganoff

I have a real penchant for beef casseroles.  Especially when they have been slow cooked and they just literally melt in the mouth.  On a shopping trip yesterday I indulged in some sweet smoked paprika from Spain.  I don't think this is the paprika traditionally used in stroganoff as you're supposed to use Hungarian paprika.  But what the hell, I tried the Spanish stuff, and it tasted pretty good.

Pimenton de la Vera - Sweet smoked Paprika

Ingredients
500g stewing steak
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
400g mushrooms
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
500ml beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup wine
1/2 cup light sour cream

Method
First things first, brown the diced onions and garlic in a little oil until soft and place in slow cooker.  Then brown the sliced mushrooms and add to the slow cooker.  Finally the meat.  First of all season the meat with salt and pepper.  Then sprinkle over the paprika and massage into the meat.  Finally dust the beef with flour before browning in a frying pan.  Add the meat to the slow cooker placing on top of all the vegetables.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook until tender (6 hours on high worked well for me)

Serve with rice and green beans.

The green beans I trimmed and blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes.  I then drained the beans and added a knob of butter, a squirt of fresh lemon before finally seasoning the greens with salt and pepper.

In my kitchen...

I recently renovated my 20 year old kitchen into a space I'm very happy in.  Just having such a pleasing surround has really made me fall in love with cooking all over again.  Here is a look at my kitchen and what's in it...

my pantry

wall oils, seasonings and wine racks

a place to dream...

too much coffee man, a gift for my coffee loving man

The Bolognese that just keeps on giving...

Bolognese with Garlic Chickpeas and Spinach

Every week I try and make a vat of Bolognese as it's one sure fire way of getting vegetables into my fussy children.  I freeze if off into portions to make a multitude of meals from spag bol, mince and cheese pies, mincy rice, cottage pie, mince on toast etc.  Today I made a batch and fed the kids spaghetti bolognese.  I then fried up some chick peas in garlic, added some baby spinach leaves, and then some bolognaise to create a tasty gluten free dinner.   Served with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a green salad, all that was missing was a fat glass of wine.  I have decided to avoid alcohol until I can't stand it anymore to kick start the weight shift.


Bolognese Recipe

Ingredients
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
2 courgettes
2 carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 kg lean beef mince
100g fat free chopped bacon bits
1 fat glass of red wine
2 400g cans chopped tomato
Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

Method

Put the onions, garlic, carrots and courgettes  into a food processor and whizz into a mush.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables and bacon, sauteeing for 10 minutes on a low heat.  Turn up the heat and add the mince, stirring until browned.  Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce during this browning process.  Add the wine, chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 2-3 hours until rich.  Sometimes I add a cup of milk to the bolognaise along with the wine just to make it even richer and luxurious, but it's not necessary.

And the next day...

This afternoon my children requested mince and cheese pies made in the little pie maker my son gave me for mothers day.  Honesly with left-over bolognese it takes all of 5 minutes to make these pies.  Firstly you need an electric pie maker.  These make nice little pies, a good size for children. 

You also need some reduced fat pre-rolled pastry, leftover bolognese and some low-fat cheese.

Cut the pastry with the rings that come with the pie maker, one large ring for the base, one small for the lid.

Place the pastry base in the pie maker, one for each pie.  Add a spoon of Bolognese to each pie, and top with some grated cheese.  Finally top with a pastry lid.  Close the lid of the pie maker, and leave for 5 minutes to cook.

And finally you have two tasty, but healthier than the pie shop pies enough to please the most fussy little and big eaters.  BTW The reduced fat pastry has 4 weight watchers pro points which is roughly the same as 2 slices of regular bread)  But not for me today, as I'm not eating wheat.