Recipe Journal


BEEF

Beef Bourguignon

Introduction

Beef in Red Wine Sauce Beef Bourguignon Note you need to prepare the onions and mushrooms separately.

Ingredients

6 oz of blanched bacon 2 to 3 Tbsp cooking oil 4 lbs trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cups sliced onions 1 cup sliced carrots 1 bottle of red wine (such as a zinfandel or Chianti) 2 cups beef stock or canned beef broth 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned 1 medium herb bouquet (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, 3 large cloves of smashed garlic together in cheesecloth) Beurre mani? for the sauce: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a pasted with 2 Tbsp butter For the garnish: 24 small brown-braised white onions and 3 cups sauted quartered mushrooms (sauted in butter and oil, start with at least 4 cups of raw quartered mushrooms, about 1 lb and a half)

Directions

1 Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels. 2 In a large frying pan, saute the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat in browning. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and oil, season with salt and pepper, and turn them into a heavy casserole pan. Add the bacon to the casserole pan as well. 3 Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat. Deglaze the pan with wine, pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 325 F oven, until the meat is tender. Check at about 40 minutes. 4 Remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then degrease and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre mani., then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout. Serve with rice, bread, or potatoes (unless you are doing the low-carb version!).

Burlington beef

Ingredients

1oz / 25g Dried mushrooms 15 fl oz /450ml Beef stock, hot 2 tablespoons Sunflower oil 2.2lb / 1Kg Good quality braising steak 2 tablespoons Plain flour 5 fl oz / 150ml Dry white wine 12oz / 350g Onions, thinly sliced 4 sticks Celery, strings removed, diagonally sliced 4 cloves Garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons Apricot jam 1 sprig Thyme Salt and pepper ¾ Yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons Chopped flat leaf parsley Garnish: 1 tablespoon Olie oil ¼ Yellow pepper, seeded cut into julienne strips 6oz / 175g Chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced 6 sprigs Parsley

Directions

Wash the dried mushrooms and soak in hot stock - sit on back of the Aga for about 20 mins. Heat oil in large frypan on the boiling plate and brown the beef in batches, remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Slide the pan onto the simmering plate, blend in the flour and gradually add wine, dried mushrooms and soaking liquid. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook for about 5 mins stirring all the time. Return meat to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for few mins. Stir in apricot jam, sprig of thyme and season. Cover with lid and transfer to simmering oven for about 2 hours or until meat is tender. About 20 mins before end of cooking add yellow pepper. When nearly ready to serve stir fry the vegetable garnish in the olive oil. Add balsamic vinegar and chopped parsley to the stew. Serve stew with little crispy garnish on the side.

Favourite Meat Pie

Ingredients

Filling: 1?lb / 700g Braising steak or stewing steak 4 Rashers streaky bacon 1 Small onion 2 Carrots 1oz / 25g Butter 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 1oz / 25g Plain flour 2 tablespoons Tomato puree ? pint / 425ml Red wine ? pint / 150ml Beef stock 2 Bay leaves 8 Shallots, peeled 8oz / 225g Button mushrooms 1 teaspoon Dried mixed herbs Seasoning Pastry 375g Ready rolled puff pastry 1 Egg (for glaze)

Directions

*Mix the flour with the seasoning and herbs. * Cut the steak into 2.5cm (1inch) cubes and coat in seasoned flour. * Chop bacon and dice carrots and onions. * Melt the butter in a large deep pan, add meat and saute for 3-4 minutes until browned. * Add the bacon, onion, garlic and carrots, and sauti for a further 5 minutes. * Add the tomato puree, wine, beef stock and bay leaves and seasoning. * Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1 - 1-1/2 hours. * Add shallots and mushrooms, and cook for a further 15 minutes. * Preheat oven; add mixture to pie dish. Roll out pastry, and cover pie. * Trim and seal edges, making a small cut in the centre of the pastry to allow the steam to escape. * Decorate with pastry brush leaves, brush with egg, and bake for 20 minutes, until golden in colour.

Fillet Steaks with Fresh Herb Sauce

Introduction

"It is difficult to make a small quantity of hollandaise sauce in a food processor unless you have a small herb processor too. I have given instructions to make the hollandaise by hand - it really is quite easy."

Ingredients

6 x 6oz / 175g Fillet steaks, cut from the thick end Salt and pepper 1-2 tablespoons Olive oil Butter For the hollandaise/herb sauce: 2 tablespoons Lemon juice 8oz / 225g Unsalted butter Salt and pepper 4 Egg yolks 1 tablespoon Parsley, freshly chopped 1 tablespoon Marjoram, freshly chopped 1 tablespoon Chives, freshly chopped

Directions

Strain the lemon juice into a hot 4-pint heatproof mixing bowl (heat by pouring in just off the boil water from the kettle) Melt the butter in a small pan until boiling. Add the egg yolks to the lemon juice and add seasoning. Pour the hot butter slowly on to the egg yolks in a steady stream, whisking continuously with a balloon whisk or electric hand beater. The sauce should just hold its shape. Stir the freshly chopped herbs into the sauce and adjust the seasoning. To cook the steaks, season the steaks on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread one side of each steak with butter. Fry the steaks on the Boiling Plate in a pre-heated griddle pan or frying pan for about two minutes on each side for medium rare. For well done steaks, transfer the pan to the Simmering Plate and continue to cook for an extra 3 minutes on each side. Serve each steak with a spoonful of the fresh herb sauce - the sauce will melt on to the hot steak. Conventional oven: Heat a large non-stick griddle or fry pan till very hot. At once, add the steaks, buttered side down, and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Lower the heat and continue to cook until the steaks are to your liking (an extra 3 minutes on each side for well done steaks).

Rump Steak Diane

Introduction

Steak Diane has long been a traditional, rather pretentious, flambish associated with the the bastions of traditional English eateries and Catering College Training Restaurants. Its origins are French and the idea is to allow `Seen Cooking` actually in the restaurant. Having witnessed this rather quirky and sometimes dangerous operation in many restaurants and colleges, I think cooking should be left to the chefs!

Ingredients

1?lb Rump steak, cut into 4" steaks 1 small jar Grain mustard 1oz Butter Olive oil 1 teaspoon Tomato puree 175ml Medium sherry 175ml Red wine 1 dessertspoon Worcestershire sauce Seasoning

Directions

Smear one side of the steaks with the mustard. Heat the butter and oil on the boiling plate (other cookers high heat) until browning. Quickly fry the steaks about 1 minute on both sides using the roasting oven floor (you will need to do the steaks in two lots). When the first ones are done remove and set aside, drain the pan of any juice and reserve. Add a little more oil to the pan and heat up before cooking the second batch. When these are done, remove and set aside. Add tomato puree, sherry and red wine with the Worcester sauce, cook briefly. Simmer 1 minute until sauce begins to thicken, add water if too thick, pour over meat and keep warm in the simmering oven.