1,5kg cooking lamb (traditionally lamb neck or ribs are used) 2 onions, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 1 litre lamb stock 5 large potatoes, cut into chunks 400g green beans, trimmed to 2cm lenghths 2,5ml white pepper 30ml lemon juice
Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil to it and brown the lamb. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Now add the tinned tomato, lamb stock and 10ml salt. Add enough additional water to cover the lamb completely. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes. Add the potato and simmer for 10 minutes. Now add the green beans and simmer for another 15 minutes or so, until done. Turn the heat off, add the 2,5ml white pepper and drizzle the lemon juice over the stew. Give the stew a good mix and serve on rice.
1kg brisket, fat on 2 onions, chopped 5 cloves of garlic, minced 2 carrots, chopped 1 x 400g tin of diced tomatoes 240g tomato purée 60ml Worcestershire sauce 60ml apple cider vinegar 20ml wholegrain mustard 30ml brown sugar 10ml smoked paprika store bought gnocchi
Preheat your oven to 160℃. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and tinned tomato to a food processor and blitz until it is a thick saucy mixture. Pour in the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, sugar and paprika and blitz again. Add 5ml salt and stir through. Decant the sauce into an ovenproof saucepan. Place the brisket on top of the sauce and then spoon enough of the mixture over to cover the meat. Place a lid on the saucepan and bake in the oven for 4 hours. Remove the brisket from the oven, take off the lid and leave to cool for 15 minutes or so. Pull the meat and fat apart with two forks and add it to a saucepan.
Cook your gnocchi according to packet instructions. Place the saucepan with the meat over a low heat, add the gnocchi and stir through. Serve warm with gremolata.
2.5 – 3kg oxtail vegetable oil 3 onions, chopped 4 clove of garlic, minced 60ml flour 5 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks 2 bay leaves 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato 250ml red wine 1,5l beef stock Worcestershire sauce
Dumplings: 250ml flour 7,5ml baking powder 2ml salt 60g butter, cut into small cubes 10ml dried mixed herbs 60-80ml milk
For the stew: Preheat your oven to 220℃. Add the oxtail to 2 large roasting tins and drizzle with the vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the oxtail for 20-25 minutes, until beautifully caramelised and golden. Set aside. Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil and then add the onions. Cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Sprinkle over the flour and stir while cooking for another minute. Now add the carrots, bay leaves, tomatoes, red wine, beef stock and about 6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Add the oxtail and whatever pan juices you have and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and partly cover with a lid. Simmer the oxtail for 3 hours, stirring every now and then. Remove the lid and check the consistency of the sauce – if it is too watery, simmer without the lid for 20-30 minutes longer. The sauce should be thick and rich and the meat should be fork tender.
For the dumplings: Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and stir through. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the herbs and enough milk to form a soft dough. Spoon teaspoonful of the dough onto the oxtail stew and cover with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes without opening the lid.
This recipe is traditional French fare and based on the famous boeuf bourguignon served in family-run bistros in small villages all over France except that it is cooked stove-top. I prefer this method as it enables one to literally keep an eye on it without sacrificing on taste. Although it is often served with baguette it is delicious served with creamy mashed potato. I also prefer to cook my beef bourguignon in a Merlot but tradition dictates a Pinot Noir.
Marinade: 800g chuck beef, cut into 4-5cm cubes 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 16 pearl onions, peeled 1 bay leaf 3 sprigs of thyme 750ml red wine, I prefer a Merlot
Marinate the beef by adding all the ingredients to a large ceramic dish. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Strain the marinade into a bowl, reserving the liquid. Separate the beef, carrots and onion into three bowls. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Skim any impurities off the liquid and keep it warm on a low flame. Line a tray with paper towels and spread the cubed beef onto it. Pat the meat dry and season with 2,5ml salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Put a large saucepan onto a high heat and pour in enough oil to coat the bottom. Brown the meat in three batches, adding more oil if needed. Keep the browned meat aside in a bowl. Add the bacon to the same saucepan and cook on a high heat for about 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with the beef. Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until golden. Keep in a separate bowl. Turn the heat down slightly, add more oil if necessary and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the garlic to cook with the onion for one minute. Add the tomato paste to the onion and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Now add the butter and allow it to melt before adding the flour. Cook for two minutes while stirring continuously. Drizzle in the beef stock while stirring and then add the wine in a steady stream. Add the beef cubes, bacon, and 2,5ml salt and stir together. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for one hour, checking/stirring once or twice. Remove the lid and add the mushrooms and onions. Replace the lid and cook for another hour and a half, checking every now and then. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Serve the beef bourguignon with mashed potato, rice or French baguette.
My Whisk and I 