Monday, March 31, 2008

Jamie Oliver Beef Stew

• olive oil
• a knob of butter
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• a handful of fresh sage leaves
• 800g/1¾lb stewing steak or beef skirt, cut into 5cm/2 inch pieces
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• flour, to dust
• 2 parsnips, peeled and quartered
• 4 carrots, peeled and halved
• ½ a butternut squash, halved, deseeded and roughly diced
• optional: a handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved
• 500g/1lb 2oz small potatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• ½ a bottle of red wine
• 285ml/½ pint beef or vegetable stock
• zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
• a handful of rosemary, leaves picked
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely choppedJools’s favourite beef stew

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/300ºF/gas 2. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato purée, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top, then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4 – it depends on what cut of meat you’re using and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat and if it falls apart easily it’s ready. Once it’s cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110°C/225°F/gas ¼ and just hold it there until you’re ready to eat.

The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfuls into bowls, accompanied by a glass of French red wine and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chopped rosemary and garlic together and sprinkle over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference – as soon as it hits the hot stew it will release an amazing fragrance.

http://www.jamieoliver.com

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Curly Kale as seaweed

Wash and rinse.
Remove all the Big stalks.
Spread the sweet leaves on a baking tray on a little Olive Oil.
Season with black pepper (and whatever else you fancy, garlic, salt, fresh herbs etc)
Bake in the oven for 20 mins.

Friday, March 07, 2008

Mamtas Kitchen Recipes

This is a great website for Indian recipes. I use it all the time for reference and ideas.
http://www.mamtaskitchen.com

I am doing these three side dishes tonight, which reminded me to post her site here.

Paratha (Flat Bread), Plain
http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10100

Pilaf Rice, Plain Fragrant
http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10148

Green Beans & Potato Bhaji (DryCurry)
http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10349

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Grilled Chicken Breast on Pickled Beets and Garlic Potatoes

Brian Turner from Great Food Live

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating
Cooking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients
For the chicken

4 chicken breasts
4 tbsp Olive oil
pinch chilli flakes

For the pickled beets

550g beetroots, topped and tailed
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp Olive oil

For the potatoes

2 baking potatoes
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
150ml Olive oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1] Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
2] Prick the potatoes and place in the oven to bake for 1 - 1 ½ hours.
3] Flatten the chicken breasts, but leave the bone on.
4] Mix the olive oil and chilli flakes and pour over the chicken breasts. Leave to marinate for 1 hour.
5] Meanwhile put the beetroots in a pan and cover with water.
6] Simmer for about 30 minutes (depending on size) until just cooked. Remove from the pan and while warm, peel and cut into wedges.
7] Place the beetroot in a baking dish and pour over the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and add the caraway seeds.
8] Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
9] Remove from the oven and put the beetroot in a bowl. Add the olive oil and keep warm.
10] When the potatoes are cooked scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Add the garlic and stir in the vinegar. Slowly add the oil, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
11] Preheat the grill.
12] Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook under the grill for about 5-10 minutes on each side (depending on size) until thoroughly cooked.
13] To serve: place some potato in the middle of each serving plate. Top with the beetroot and lay the chicken breasts on top.