Beef baked with Yoghurt and Black Pepper
I might have mentioned that we have quite a lot of meat to get through this week. A combination of having a freezer the size of a shoe-box and wanting to use as much of the meat while it’s at it’s best (i.e. unfrozen) meant that tonight we opted to use the oxtail – try as I might, there was no way I was going to cram that in to the freezer amongst the frozen peas and fishfingers.
Looking back through the archives, I saw that the last time we (well, Stephen actually) cooked oxtail was in a brilliant Thai-style soup. The next stop was obviously Indian-style so out came Madhur Jaffrey. I briefly considered rogan josh but that was far too complicated for a school night, this was the next best thing.
The original recipe calls for diced stewing beef so I adapted the cooking time to take into account the long, slow braising that oxtail requires and ended up cooking this for a total of 4.5 hours (over two nights). While the end result was reasonably tender meat, I think it would have benefited from an even longer cooking time.
Stephen said he enjoyed it but I could detect a bitter note which I found off-putting. While this was simpler than the rogan josh, it still required a fair amount of browning and simmering and cooking and reducing and I was a bit fed up with the whole thing by the time it came to eat it anyway. It’s a good job Stephen didn’t feel the same way because there’s plenty left over and, with no space in the freezer, it’s the same again tomorrow night.
Beef baked with Yoghurt and Black Pepper
Serves Four
Vegetable oil (for browning)
1 oxtail, jointed (extra points if you do this yourself)
3 onions, chopped (MJ always specifies onions in grams which I find infuriating, this looked about right)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger (I used fresh, about an inch)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
300ml natural yoghurt
Start by browning the meat and then removing to a plate.
In the same pan, cook the onions, garlic and ginger until brown – about 10 minutes.
Add the spices and stir to incorporate, return the meat to the pan, add the yoghurt and stir.
Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 2.5 hours.
(I did all of this on Monday night and then left it to cool overnight. The following night, I brought it back to the boil on the hob, added some water to ensure the meat was covered and simmered for a further 2 hours. At this point, I took the meat off the bone and returned it to the sauce. An extra hour of cooking here would have helped tenderise the meat).
Roast Sirloin of Beef
So, with two carrier bags of meat to get through, it was obvious that today was going to be all about the roast beef. On the butchers block yesterday, the beef sirloin certainly looked impressive but it was only when I unwrapped it in the privacy of my own kitchen that I realised just how enormous it was. Stephen and I both have a decent appetite, especially when it comes to roast lunches but it was quickly apparent that there was no way we were going to be able to eat the whole joint without wasting any. The answer however was obvious: slice off two steaks and put them aside for future enjoyment.
Not wanting to risk over-cooking such a beautiful piece of meat, we brought Hugh to the breakfast table and read up on his tips for perfect roast beef. He recommended roasting on a high temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before lowering to 180 degrees and cooking the meat for 9-10 minutes per 500g for very rare and 12-15 minutes for medium. We opted for 11 minutes to be somewhere in between.
Happily, this worked out perfectly and after an hour of cooking and 30 minutes of resting, we were sitting down to the best beef we’ve ever cooked. Not only was it tender and melt-in-the-mouth, it had a strong, deep flavour that required very little in the way of seasoning or accompaniment.
To be honest, we probably could have taken off four steaks and still had plenty for lunch and leftovers but this way, we have enough for plenty of sandwiches which is not a bad way to start the week.
Butchery Masterclass at Allens of Mayfair
Allens of Mayfair is the oldest butcher’s shop in London having proudly occupied the same site for the last 120 years. The history of the building is evident as soon as you approach the shop but once inside, it’s immediately obvious that this is no backwards-looking kind of establishment.
What’s most striking are the carcasses proudly hanging up in the middle of the shop, ready for butchering. It’s nothing like the sterile atmosphere of the local supermarket, not only can you see the meat but you can smell it too. And it smells good. A little challenging on a Saturday morning, particularly if you’ve over-indulged the night before but a good indication of what was to follow.
I was lucky enough to be there for one of their butchery classes, held in the middle of the shop around the impressive butcher’s block. While I knew I would be getting my hands dirty, I wasn’t sure exactly what I would be butchering since this is dependant on what’s in season and what’s available. David, the co-owner, explained that today’s selection was chicken, lamb and beef.
We started with the chicken, probably because it was the easiest. Except it wasn’t and I soon realised that there’s a reason Stephen deals with the butchery in our kitchen. David and his colleagues were on hand to help though and I eventually managed to do a reasonable job, although there was definitely more meat left on my carcass than there should have been.
Luckily for me, David and his colleagues were more than happy to continue helping me as I attempted to portion a whole oxtail, French trim a rack of lamb (which involves both a saw and a cleaver) and de-bone a beef sirloin. It wasn’t easy but it was most definitely rewarding and by the end of the class I felt reasonably confident in my ability.
Aside from the butchery, it quickly became apparent just how much skill is involved in the production of something like a rack of lamb. Sure, I’ve trimmed a half-rack and cleaned bones at home before but have never given much thought to what’s involved in the steps before (the sawing and the cleavering is what I’m talking about here!). Allens supply many of London’s finest restaurants and part of the aim behind the course is to leave people with an understanding of what’s involved in getting their restaurant steak to the table.
At £100, it’s not cheap but it’s a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon and you get to take all that meat home with you too. Yep, I struggled to the tube with a whole chicken, an oxtail, a rack of lamb and that impressive beef sirloin compete with bones to turn into stock. It’s going to be a meaty week!
Celeriac and Potato Soup
After the success of the Jerusalem artichoke soup, I thought I’d try my luck with some celeriac that was lurking at the bottom of the fridge. I basically followed the previous recipe and just substituted the artichokes for celeriac and it worked well. Not a complete triumph, there’s still something missing (possibly just more mascarpone) but it wasn’t as disastrous as some of my previous attempts.
Apologies for the boring picture: in my head it was interesting and tonal but I can see now it’s actually just very beige. I should also apologise for the boring post, there are some more interesting things to come just as soon as I have the time to write them up.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Mmmm bacon. I arrived home this evening to the delicious smell of bacon frying; Kerri was making spaghetti carbonara, which was most welcome. It was similar to this recipe, but we took a slightly different path by adding some left over marscapone instead of cream. The result was delicious and the photograph much more appetising!
Pork Cheeks, Butter Beans and Chorizo
On a recent visit to Waitrose, Kerri bought seven pork cheeks for the rather reasonable sum of just £1.67. We had been talking about cooking them for a while, and this seemed too good (and cheap) an opportunity to pass up. Something slow cooked seemed to be the way to go, and we fancied something Spanish in style so added a little chopped up chorizo and handful of butter beans. Good old fashioned hearty fare for a rainy February day.
The pork cheeks cooked down and were really soft and tender, breaking up easily with just a fork. Perhaps we should have kept the cheeks whole actually, it would have made for more interesting presentation.
We made the recipe up as we went along, but it went something like this:
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
3 or 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 small onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
100g chorizo, chopped
1 tsp paprika (optional)
7 pig cheeks, cut into 2 or 3 pieces each
250g dried butter beans
1 litre (or so) of chicken stock
250ml red wine
1tsp dried thyme (or preferably fresh thyme if you have it, which we didn’t)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
small bunch parsley, chopped
Heat up a little oil in a casserole or heavy saucepan and then fry the chorizo until the red oil starts to appear. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and fry for a while until softened. Remove to a plate. Add a little more oil to the casserole, season the cheek pieces with salt and pepper and then brown them. When done, add the vegetables and chorizo back into the casserole with the cheeks, stir and turn down the heat.
Add the bay leaves and then the wine. Let the wine bubble away for a little while to evaporate the alcohol and then add the tomatoes, beans and thyme. You could add paprika too but we forgot. Add enough stock to just cover them, bring to the boil, cover with a lid and let simmer for about 3 hours. Remember to stir every half an hour or so to ensure that the beans cook consistently. Before serving, season with salt and pepper if needed and add a little chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Chillied Tortilla Soup and Chilli-Seasoned Pot Roasted Pork
So, to go with the tortillas we made earlier, we decided on a soup to start and something to fill them later. We had originally considered three courses all using tortillas but that seemed a little much when it actually came down to it.
We actually started with some pork scratchings and guacamole, inspired by Stephen’s recent visit to Wahaca. These were brilliant, both dishes are brilliant in their own right but together they become even better. Can you see how Stephen is trying to outdo my Valentine’s pie effort with his pink Champagne and roses? At least I was subtle.
Next was the soup which used some of the tortillas but required them to be fried before adding to the final dish. This was very light in texture, more of a broth really, but had a deep, chilli flavour to it. The fried tortillas worked like croutons and were great in both their crunchy state and later on when they had softened and soaked up some of the soup’s flavour.
And then the main course. We considered various options before settling on the pot roasted pork that we’ve actually cooked before. This was as good as last time but we were both very full by the time we got to this course. There’s lots leftover which we’ve frozen for now but will be great when we need something quick from the freezer. There are some pickled red onions here too which added a really good contrast to the deep and earthy pork and would work well with lots of Mexican dishes.
Chillied Tortilla Soup
Serves Two
2 to 3 corn tortillas, preferably stale
1/6 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2-4 dried pasilla chillies, stemmed and seeded
1 garlic clove, unpeeled
1 medium ripe tomato
1 small white onion, sliced
3 cups chicken stock
Salt
1 cup cheese
1/2 lime (we forgot this)
2 cups chard (we used spring greens)
Slice the tortillas into strips and deep fry them until crispy.
Cut chillies into 1 inch squares and fry briefly for 3-4 seconds. Place half the chillies in a bowl and cover with hot water, leave for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the water. Set aside the remaining fried chillies.
Roast the garlic in a frying pan for about 15 minutes, or until blackened in places.
Roast the tomato under a hot grill until baleckened, turn over and roast the other side. About 10 minutes total.
Heat the remaining oil and fry onion until brown.
Place the rehydrated chillies, the tomato, the garlic and a third of the stock into a blender and blitz to a paste.
Raise the temperature of the onions, add the paste and fry until the paste darkens. Add the remaining stock, simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt if necessary.
Add the greens and cook through. Assemble and serve.
Pickled Red Onions
1 cup
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Blanch the onion slices in boiling salted water for 45 seconds, drain and place in a bowl.
Gring the peppercorns and cumin and add to the onions. Add the remaining ingredients and enough water to just cover. Stir and leave for several hours until the water turns bright pink.
Homemade Tortillas
It’s been a while since we had a weekend at home without any plans. Since before Christmas in fact. My favourite way to spend a Saturday is to eat breakfast in bed while watching Saturday Kitchen, followed by an afternoon in the kitchen which is exactly what we did today.
Since we had plenty of time today, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to christen our new tortilla press, bought for us by Stephen’s mum at Borough Market last weekend. This has been on our wishlist since we started experimenting with Mexican food last year and it’s very easy to use: simply mix together 250g of the tortilla flour (also bought at Borough Market, via coolchile) with 330ml of warm water and leave for 15 minutes before forming into small balls – we got 13 from that amount.
Cover both sides of the press in cling-film, place the dough ball in the middle and apply some pressure until a tortilla-shaped circle is formed.
Fry in a hot, dry frying pan for 15 seconds, turn over and fry for 30 seconds, turn again and heat until the tortilla puffs. Repeat 13 times. Then put the battery back into your smoke alarm.
These turned out really well, slightly too thick perhaps but with a good, corny flavour. I’m sure you could make perfectly adequate tortillas without a press but this way is much more fun. And just look at the pretty colour.
We cooked a batch of these today to use for tonight’s dinner. We might actually need to make some more since completing an exhaustive taste test this afternoon.
Success with Soup!
I can make soup! So long as I follow the recipe and don’t omit high-calorie ingredients like cream or mascarpone then a soup-shaped future is within my grasp.
This is a Jamie Oliver recipe, from Return of the Naked Chef. Old skool.
Potato and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Thyme, Mascarpone and Hazelnuts (he’s concise isn’t he?)
Serves 4 – 6
2 knobs of butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
455g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped (I didn’t bother to peel them)
225g potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 good handful thyme leaves
1.1 litre chicken stock
155g mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper
200g hazelnuts, toasted
In a large pan, melt the butter and slowly fry the garlic, onion, artichokes, potatoes and thyme (Jamie doesn’t say for how long but I did this for about 15 minutes).
Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Puree, add the mascarpone, season and serve with the toasted hazelnuts.
Roast Chicken with Potato and Celeriac Rosti
Stephen’s mum was here for dinner last night and since it was the last evening before she returned home to South Africa, we opted for a traditional roast chicken. I was a bit disorientated while cooking though (due to yet another visit to the dentist) and forgot about the roast potatoes. I’d been thinking about potato and celeriac rosti for a while though and since I had both ingredients, decided to do that instead.
We’ve had intermittent success with rosti in the past and I almost gave up this time when the potato became almost liquid in consistency, this was largely due to the fact that the only grater in the house is a Microplane that I bought to replace our cheap, dangerous metal effort that’s supposed to be suitable for cheese (and therefore potato I assumed) but is actually only any good for very fine Parmesan. Knowing I couldn’t serve my future MIL just chicken and parsnips though, I persevered. I managed to squeeze a lot of water out of the potato which boosted my confidence and the celeriac behaved a lot better.
By the time I’d combined the two together (quite a long time after I’d started, note to self: buy a bigger grater), Stephen was home and he shaped the mixture into rosti-like patties and began to fry them. This was the second mistake: the patties were too big which meant the ratio of crunchy outsides to soft insides was skew.
We fried the rosti until they were browned on both sides and then finished the cooking in the oven, a technique I think would work well if your mixture wasn’t hideously glutinous to begin with. Since ours were, the insides ended up resembling wallpaper paste in both texture and colour. So, quite a large failure really. And I burnt the parsnips. The chicken was good though.
