Category: beef

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beef oyster sauce red onion

beef in oyster sauce

beef in oyster sauce with vegetables in a soy curry vinaigrette

When Ken Hom is on Saturday Kitchen, he usually pulls a blinder out of the bag, such as crispy chicken noodles. And this recipe was no exception. Tender beef, sticky savoury sauce and to quote the Homster “disgustingly healthy”. I’m not sure how healthy it is, but it tastes pretty darn good to me.

Based on Ken Hom’s original recipe and messed around with according to what I had knocking about

Beef in oyster sauce (serves 4):

For the beef

450g fillet of beef, cut into thin strips

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon dry sherry

2 teaspoons cornflour

3 tablespoons rapeseed oil

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

4 spring onions, chopped

For the salad

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 broccoli, cut into small florets

100g green beans, trimmed

½ cauliflower, cut into small florets

Small tin of water chestnuts, drained

½ red onion, finely diced

  1. Mix the soy, sesame oil, sherry and cornflour together and add the beef. Combine well and leave to marinate while you chop up everything else.
  2. Get your wok on screaming hot, then add a few splashes of oil. While the oil heats up stick a sieve or colander over a bowl. When the oil is smoking add the beef. Keep it in the wok until it’s browned lightly on all sides, then chuck the lot into the sieve, letting the excess oil drain off. Wipe the pan out with kitchen paper.
  3. Put the vegetables into a pan of simmering water. These will take 4 -5 minutes to get tender. While this is happening, mix the mustard, curry powder, soy sauce and oil in a bowl, mix well and add the onion and chestnuts.
  4. Back to the wok: get the oyster sauce to simmering point and add the spring onion and drained beef. Toss well to coat.
  5. While the beef finishes, drain the veg and add to the salad dressing. Mix thoroughly with the dressing and serve up with the beef.
Categories
beef mushroom pie steak stock

steak and mushroom pie

I possess the world’s worst hands for handling pastry. Fact. These hot hams won’t be churning out mille feuille any time soon.

So I tried my best at one of these recipe ideas from BakingMad using simple old short crust. I made a few changes to make sure the meat was completely tender and gave it a cheese-flavoured savoury pastry that just finished it off nicely. I handled the dough as little as possible and it seemed to turn out OK. It made a rich, savoury stewy pie that left me licking the bowl.

I’ve freezed a whole bunch of it so I can look forward to more pies over the next few weeks.

Based on a recipe from Baking Mad

Steak and mushroom pie (makes 6 individual pies):

For the pastry

250g plain white flour

100g cold butter, diced

25g cheddar, grated

1 egg, beaten

Splash of milk

For the filling

1kg casserole beef (such as braising, shin, blade), diced

1 onion, thickly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons flour

500ml beef stock

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

400g mushrooms, thickly sliced

  1. First make the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese, then add the egg and enough milk to bring it all together. Try not to mess about with it too much, but press enough so that it comes together. When it forms a ball wrap in cling film and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
  2. Get a large lidded casserole on a high heat, add a splash of oil and brown the beef all over. Do this in batches as necessary so as not to crowd the pan.
  3. Lower the heat and add the onions and carrots. Cook until the onions are lightly browned, then stir in the flour. After a minute put the heat back up and add a little of the stock, scraping up all the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining stock and all the other ingredients, pop a lid on and leave to simmer for about 2 hours, or until the beef is tender. If it’s a little watery at this point, take the lid off and ramp the heat up to reduce it down.
  4. Spoon the beef filling into dishes you’ll eventually cook the pies in. Allow to cool before adding the pastry, otherwise it’ll be all soggy underneath (eurgh).
  5. Roll out the pastry as thin as you like and press on to your pie dishes. Press around the edges with a fork and slash the middle to allow the steam to escape. At this point you can freeze the pies (defrost thoroughly before baking).
  6. If you’re eating now, get the oven on 180°C and brush the pies with milk. Bake for 30 mins or until the pastry is golden and risen.
Categories
beef mushroom pearl barley

beef and mushroom pearl barley risotto

I’d made some cholent (a stew of brisket, pearl barley, beans, onions and paprika) recently and had about half left over. I put my super thrifty hat on and decided to split the meat away from the pulses and freeze them separately, giving me two goes at the leftovers. With some uncooked pearl barley knocking about as well I thought I would try a pearl barley risotto, a first for me.

I asked for some advice too late – the ever helpful Fuss Free Flavours recommended I soak the grains beforehand. Unfortunately I was making it that night! Luckily I had time to spare.

And what a treat it was. Really hearty, which is fortunate in these gloomy September evenings, and full of flavour. The pearl barley was plump with still a bit of bite, the beef still rich and tasty. Well worth the effort.

Beef and mushroom pearl barley risotto (serves 4):

6 rashers streaky bacon

2 onions, diced

1 celery stick, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig of rosemary, leaves finely chopped

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

180g pearl barley

4 tablespoons Marsala

300g cooked brisket, shredded

1 litre beef stock

  1. Heat a little oil in a deep casserole with a lid. Fry the bacon until browned and then add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook slowly for 5 or so minutes until the veg starts to soften.
  2. Add the rosemary, garlic and mushrooms and fry for another few minutes until the mushrooms start to get tender. Turn the heat up high and add the Marsala. Once it has all but evaporated, stir in the pearl barley and cook for a minute to coat in all the lovely flavours.
  3. Add the beef and the stock, simmer and cover for 45 minutes until the barley is tender. If the barley’s cooked but it’s still very liquidy in there, crank the heat up and boil away unlidded until it’s a little less juicey. Check for seasoning. If you have some parsley it would be really nice stirred through as you serve.
Categories
beef cumin oregano paprika tomato

beef chilli

Sometimes you see a recipe on TV and you have to do it immediately. And so it was with Jamie Cooks Summer, where Jamie Oliver cruises around a festival and cooks a bit. He made a chilli with a big slab of brisket as opposed to mince, rubbed it with spices and then braised it in tomatoes for hours. Watching the tender meat pull apart with a spoon is guaranteed mouth-watering.

I couldn’t find reasonably priced brisket (what’s happened to the price of brisket?!) so I used a large chunk of casserole steak instead, which still gave the same loose texture and great taste. I also added peppers and kidney beans to mine to round it out a bit. I left out the absurd amount of chillies that Jamie puts in every recipe, but still left plenty of tongue-tickling heat in there. It’s a great fun recipe though and a big hit for a party.

Beef chilli (serves 6):

800g casserole steak, scored

Paprika

Oregano

Cumin

Chilli powder

2 tins of tomatoes

2 large onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 red peppers, sliced

1 tin kidney beans, drained

  1. Get a large lidded casserole dish on a low hob, and a large frying pan on a high heat with a splash of oil.
  2. Rub a dusting each of oregano, paprika, cumin and chill into the meat with a sprinkle of salt. Make sure it’s well massaged in and sear the meat all over in the frying pan to get a lovely spicy crust on it.
  3. While this is searing, add the tomatoes to the casserole and half as much water again. Remove the meat to the side for a minute while you fry the onions and garlic until softened, then chuck the onions, garlic, meat and peppers into the pan. Stick the lid on, turn the heat down and simmer for 2 hours.
  4. Add the beans and cook out for another hour, or until the beef just falls apart. Serve with wraps, guacamole, salsa and rice.
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