winter comfort food – My Whisk and I

Gremolata:
62ml pine nuts (you may replace with sunflower seeds)
a big bunch of parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
the zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt
the juice of 1 lemon
45ml olive oil

Polenta:
750ml vegetable/chicken stock
5ml salt
250ml quick cooking polenta
62ml butter

Mushrooms:
45ml butter
30ml sunflower oil
500g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
15ml thyme leaves
salt and pepper

For the Gremolata:
Place a large frying pan on medium heat and add the pine nuts to it.
Shake the pan over the heat or stir the seeds around with a spoon, until it starts to toast and change colour.
Remove the seeds from the pan and set aside.
Place the garlic, parsley and half the pine nuts on a chopping board and mince together until finely chopped.
Add the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and chop the ingredients together.
Scrape the chopped ingredients into a small bowl and add the rest of the pine nuts to it.
Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir together. Set aside.

For the Polenta:
Add the stock and salt to a saucepan set over high heat and bring the stock to a boil.
Add the polenta and whisk the mixture together until it has thickened.
Take the saucepan from the heat, add the butter and whisk well. Set aside.

For the Mushrooms:
Add the butter and oil to a frying pan set over high heat.
Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat.

Spoon the polenta into bowls and top with mushrooms and a spoonful of gremolata.

Who can say no to a homemade pie? This is a rich and meaty steak pie and definitely one of the ultimate winter comfort foods! Easy to make and freezes well if you need some “food insurance” for later. This recipe makes 2 pies that will feed 6 adults, each.

1,5kg chuck or braising steak, de-boned and cubed
3 onions, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, creamed
50g tomato paste
30ml Worcestershire sauce
500 – 750ml water
2 rolls ready-made pastry
Egg-wash: 1 egg and 15ml water whisked together

Cover the bottom of a large heavy-base saucepan with oil and heat over medium-high heat.
Season the meat with salt and add the cubed meat in batches, to brown. Keep the browned meat aside.
Add the onions, carrots, garlic and tomato paste to the same saucepan and fry for 2 -3 minutes on medium heat.
Spoon the meat into the saucepan with the vegetables, add the Worcestershire sauce and enough water to almost cover the meat. Bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a slow simmer and cook for 2 – 3 hours. The meat should be very tender and the sauce should be thick and intensely flavoured.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Take the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Preheat your oven to 200℃.
Spoon the steak mixture into two pie dishes and set aside.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry to a thickness of 3mm.
Cut out a circle that is 2cm larger in diameter than that of your pie dish.
Wet the rim of the dish with water and place the pastry over the filling. Lightly push the pastry onto the rim of the dish, to secure.
Cut a slit into the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking.
Brush the pastry with the egg-wash, place in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm.

Tag: winter comfort food

Mushroom Polenta with Gremolata

Steak Pie