Simple Sunday pleasures…

Nothing fancy today – just good honest fresh ingredients. An organic chicken stuffed with a quartered lime, coriander, spring onions chopped and a knob of butter – placed on a bed of thinly sliced shallots and olive oil. The breast and legs smeared with a Thai red curry paste called Gang Ped and popped in a preheated oven at 220c for 30 minutes then reduced to 180 for another 30 minutes. The paste produces a succulent, slightly smoky jus that is fabulous poured over the veg and meat at the end.

I saved it with roast potato and sweet potato chips and steamed buttered kale that had a waft or two of black pepper and sea salt over it.

That was it – and it was good.

Cumin roasted and fried squash, potatoes and cannellini beans…

I reckon this is a dish I could eat a lot of, and on its own. It is a mouthful to say and indeed a mouthful to eat! And a fine mouthful at that.

I had a butternut squash but wanted to experiment rather than just roast it straight. I peeled the beast, cut it into rings then halved the pieces. I then cut about 8 baby new potatoes in half.

I gurzled – new word I just made up (and I like it!) – some olive oil into a roasting tin and scattered over 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds . I popped this into a hot oven – 200c- for about 10 minutes, then added (carefully mind) the squash pieces and the potatoes. I then put the roasting tin back in the oven for around 40 minutes.

I had a loin of pork in the oven roasting satisfyingly away to itself on a bed of 4 halved long shallots and when it was ready I rescued the onions and put to one side.

Whilst the meat rested, I took out the squash and spuds and added it all to a large frying pan to which I added the shallots and a 400 gm tin of drained cannellini beans. Oh, and a little pinch of a garam masala mix. A little salt and pepper was duly ground over also and stirred gently for 5 minutes or so whilst everything got romantically aromatic.

The smell was divine. Rapturous. Roasting it first and then transferring it to finish off with the beans and shallots was a good move, if not economical on the washing up side of things!

Just for the sake of completing the circle – my main intention was after all to draw your attention to the fabulous squash dish – I added 125 gm of vegetable stock to the pork juices in the pan plus a tablespoon of crème fraîche and some black pepper.

The whole meal was one of my favourite Sunday spreads for a while.

Roast veg has the edge…

Sleepy sort of a Sunday today. A simple roast chicken stuffed with butter, basil, lemons and garlic on a bed of red onion slices accompanied by nothing more than a rainbow of roasted veg flavours. One aubergine, halved and sliced, one courgette sliced, 6 baby new potatoes thinly sliced, 6 cloves of garlic left whole – though I did split one or two to get the flavours going- 4 baby red chillies, 2 red onions quartered – all roasted for 45 minutes in olive oil, fresh thyme, rosemary, sea salt and black pepper. For the last 15 minutes, I added 4 gorgeously ripe tomatoes quartered and about 250 gm of haricot verts which I had pre steamed. Then a handful of fresh basil – just because I adore the aroma.

Everyone makes this dish and it probably needs more of a shout out. It makes me feel like I am sitting by the coast near Sorrento watching the sun dip lazily over the isle of Capri – instead of being rain bound in the dampness of a cabbage and cauliflower ridden England.

Food transports. This one certainly does for me. A simple flight of culinary fancy that makes a sodden southern Sunday seem sunnier. I am replete now and off to cuddle up by the fire with a good book and a glass of something frightfully fruity.

Have a good week.

Beef and Guinness…a marriage made in a casserole

Right, normal service soon to be resumed – thank you all for your patience – a tough 10 days at work now over…all is well with the world and today I said hello to winter with a stonking beef stew that warmed cockles and fortified frozen bones. It is a common dish but one that still needs a tender hand and a little attention along the way to adjust the flavour to exactly what you want it to be.

Ingredients for 4

800 gm of stewing steak- you could also use shin – just leave it in about 20 minutes longer
4 slices of smoked bacon chopped into bite sized pieces
50 gm butter
1 500 gm bottle or can of Guinness
Beef or chicken stock
Plain flour
A tablespoon of chopped thyme
2 bay leaves
About 12 chestnut mushrooms
500 gm of baby onions or 4 medium sized onions quartered
8 baby plum tomatoes
Salt and black pepper

Toss the beef in seasoned plain flour. Heat the butter in a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Brown the bacon pieces and transfer to a large casserole. Then brown the onions – add these to the pot.

Then add the beef and fry gently until golden. Once you have added the beef to the casserole deglaze the frying pan with a little of the Guinness. Add these magical juices to the pot too.

Now add the rest of the Guinness to the casserole plus the thyme and bay leaves. Add a little more salt and black pepper.
Bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on gently for about two hours. Then add the tomatoes. Cook for another 45 minutes then add the mushrooms whole. Add a little hot water if it looks too thick but you do not want it to be thin.

Make some dumplings and add these for a further half an hour or so.

I served it with buttery horse radish mashed potatoes.

Warming and filling and wonderfully wintery in all respects!

Pot roast, rockets and remembrance…

Today had pot roast written all over it – a crisp, bright autumnal
day following a damp, chilly bonfire party last night in the grounds – perfect for a piece of brisket to sit patiently in a pot and eek out all its goodness for us to savour later on this afternoon. This morning was our remembrance service and time to say a few words of my own in quiet reflection for those in my family who gave their lives in the Great War – Charlie and Paddy Conville and Alfred Bradbury. A brisk walk home through yellow and golden leaves cheered me up and there is nothing more therapeutic than chopping and fiddling in the kitchen.

Oven on to preheat at 140c. I then seared a locally reared 1kg piece of rolled brisket in hot lard in a casserole, removed it to one side , whilst I browned two carrots cut into chunks, 3 sticks of celery, two onions sliced and 3 cloves of garlic left whole. After about 5 minutes on a medium heat, I then added two quartered plum tomatoes, 3 bay leaves and returned the meat to sit king-like on this flavoursome throne. A little salt and pepper and a good sprig of thyme from my garden tucked under the beef were added before I placed a sheet of foil over the pot followed by the lid. It has gone in the oven for about 3 hours. When it is ready, I shall remove the meat to a warm plate and the veg – then make a little roux and thicken the juices into a gravy. I will let you know how it goes! Right, time to settle in front of the woodburner and watch the football!

I leave you with some random shots of last night’s fireworks! Kaboom!

Roast in peace…!

 

Which is exactly what you can do with a classic English beef pot roast. It is cooking serenity. No dramas. Just the ticket for a damp, dreek, early autumn Sunday. And the flavours are on the A+ side of phenomenal – and the ingredients do it all for you! Magical!

Ingredients
1.2 kilo piece of silverside – mine was from those wonderful folk at Parsonage Farm
6 carrots, cut into three hearty chunks
4 onions quartered or you could use 10 or 12 shallots left whole
1 bay leaf
beef dripping or lard
275 ml of beef stock
Thyme – fresh if you can
1 bouquet garni
1 tbsp plain flour
25 gm butter
Black pepper

Right, here we go. Preheat oven to 140c. Into a large high sided casserole heat a good wodge of dripping or lard then brown your meat all over in it. Remove to a plate. Then add the carrots and onions and brown them lightly. You could add celery stalks chopped too, or swede..but I find too much veg takes over.

Pop the joint back on top of the bed of vegetables in the pan – add the hot stock, bay leaf, sprig of thyme or teaspoon of dried, and the bouquet garni. Then grind in some black pepper. Cover tightly with foil, then pop the lid on. Bring to the boil – you should hear it begin to bubble – then slide it into the oven for 2 and a half hours.

When ready remove the beef and cover in foil and put to one side Remove the veg with a slotted spoon and also put to one side. Add the butter to the flour in a cup and with a teaspoon blend together until you have a paste. Bring the stock to the boil and add the butter paste. Stir vigorously until it looks smooth, thicker and creamier. Adjust seasoning if you so desire.

I let the beef rest for half an hour whilst the Yorkshire puds cooked – I leave these in the capable hands of my wife – she has a gift for making these gems! I then arranged the beef on a platter, arranged the veg around the side, then the Yorkshires, and then drizzled a little of the gravy over the meat. I served it with buttered boiled potatoes and steamed kale – and more of the gravy at the table.

The beef simply melted in the mouth – it was just divine. (Thank you to Sarah and John for such fabulous meat!)

So, if you have never had a go at this – do – and roast in peace!