The Woman's Got Taste...

Jamie Oliver called this gorgeous recipe "Jool's Favourite Beef Stew" and by golly does Jool's have taste. It is so delicious. As soon as you put it all together in the pot the aroma fills the kitchen. The unfortunate thing is that you have to wait at least three hours to taste it!!

The recipe makes loads so Andy and I have been enjoying it for three days now! We had it with hot crusty bread and it was so moreish and flavoursome and warming! You've got to try it!

Olive oil

a knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

a handfull of fresh sage leaves

800g stewing steak (I used gravy steak)

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

flour to dust

3 parsnips, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, peeled and halved

1/2 a butternut pumpkin, seeded and roughly diced

500g small potatoes, roughly diced

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/2 a bottle red wine

285ml beef stock

zest of 1 lemon

a handfull of rosemary leaves, picked

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Put a little oil and your knob of butter into an appropriately sized pot or casserole dish. Add your onion and all the sage leaves and fry for 3 or 4 mins. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with the vegetables, the tomato puree, wine and stock, and gently stir together. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Bring to the boil, place a lid on top then cook in the preheated oven until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes three hours, sometimes four - it depends on what cut of meat you're using and how fresh it is. Once it's cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 110 degrees and just hold it there until you're ready to eat it.

The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfulls into bowls and some really fresh, warmed bread. Mix the lemon zest, chipped 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.

E.

Nigella's Slow-cooked Lemon Chicken

Our home welcomed a a gorgeous new dining table and chairs and on the weekend we had our first dinner party on it with lovely old friends. I love a good dinner party and always have hundreds of ideas of what I can make. Unusually this time I couldn’t set my mind on anything. Wow it was stressful.

Finally on Friday night after much tossing and turning I told myself to stop being silly, to go to sleep and I would sort it out in the morning.

I woke up even earlier than usual and delved into the cookbooks. Nothing was coming to me.

The difficulty was I knew exactly what I wanted to make for dessert (yep, next post) and it was a heavy one so I had to have something not too intense.

As I was about to give up and get a pizza for them all I remembered my trusty note book with all my favourites. It opened up to the page with Nigella’s lemon chicken and all was well.

It’s all very easy and delicious in true Nigella style. Its crispy, golden brown chicken with tangy caramelised lemon and garlic, you can eat it all. I like to serve it with a nice green salad. I’ve also made this and added a few potatoes which is great.

1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1 whole garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 unwaxed lemons, cut into chunky eighths
small handful fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
150ml white wine
black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 150C/300F.

Combine the chicken pieces, garlic cloves, lemon chunks, oil and thyme (leave some thyme intact for strewing over later). Mix everything together, its easiest to use your hands.

Spread all this out in a roasting tray, trying to keep the skin side up.

Evenly sprinkle over the white wine top with freshly ground pepper.

Cover tightly with foil and put in the oven for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove the foil and turn up the oven to 200C/400ºF and cook, uncovered chicken for another 30-45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining thyme.

S

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

I went back to my parents fabulous olive grove in the Clare Valley... again, on the weekend. Had a wonderful, relaxing, rather drunk time. I was on cooking duty on Friday night and dad and I decided Lamb Shanks would be the go. I had taken all my cookbooks with me and we went through them and searched for the lamb shank recipe we fancied the most! In the end dad won out as he wanted the shanks with the most spice and flavour. Mum wanted veg and I wanted sauce! In the end I think we all got what we wanted.

The smell, flavour and texture of these shanks is unbeatable. Mum has decided to cook the same meal for all of her friends who are coming over for a dinner party this weekend; and I bought a few extra shanks when I was purchasing these, so Andy will be having shanks for dinner tomorrow night. And I truly can't wait!

4 lamb shanks

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons dried chilli

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 large carrot, quartered & finely sliced

5 sticks of celery, quartered & finely sliced

2 medium onions, quartered & finely chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

170ml dry white wine

6 anchovy fillets

2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Season the lamb with salt & pepper. Smash up the coriander seeds & dried chilli & mix with rosemary & dried oregano in a mortar and pestle. Roll the lamb in this mixture, pressing it well. Dust the lamb with the flour.

Heat a thick bottomed casserole pan, add the oil, brown the meat on all sides & then remove from the pan. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onions & a pinch of salt and sweat until softened. Add the vinegar & allow it to reduce to a syrup. Pour in the wine & allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add the anchovies & tinned tomatoes, kept whole. Shake the pan & return the lamb to it. Bring to the boil, put on a lid & simmer in the oven at 180 degrees for 2 hours. Remove lid & cook for a further half an hour. Season to taste & stir in the fresh parsley.

E.

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli Con Carne, for me, is the ultimate comfort dish. Tasty, spicy, crunchy, cream and slow cooking is my type of meal. This is a combination of a few recipes and a bit of me that I’ve been making for a while now. I generally make it vegetarian. Just omit the mince and add another tin of kidney beans and a tin of corn sometimes.

For some reason, I forgot to add the refried beans this time, and was disappointed to discover it makes all the difference. The refried beans make it nice and saucy and thick, unlike mine, as you can see in the photo.

This recipe is a crowd pleaser, as you can add all the trimmings with chips, sour cream, guacamole etc and its relatively cheap compared to a usual dinner party menu.

If you have leftovers, it’s great in a toasted sandwich.

2 onions
4 garlic cloves
500g mince
100 grams sun dried tomatoes
2 tbs HP sauce
2 fresh red chillies
1 tsp dried chilli
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 stick of cinnamon
2 tins (2x400g) diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 can (400g) refried beans
1 can (400g) red kidney beans
Salt & pepper

If you are going to use the oven method, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Chop up the onions and garlic in the food processor and fry in some olive oil until softened. Add the chilli powder and cumin and a little seasoning.

Add the mince to the pan, cooking it until slightly browned.

Place the sun-dried tomatoes and chill in the processor with the oil and blend to form a paste.

Add this to the beef with the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, HP sauce, bay leaves, refried beans and 250ml of water. Season a little more, if need be.

Bring to the boil and cover and either turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours or transfer the pan to the oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

Add the red kidney beans 30 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Serve with rice or corn chips, sour cream and guacamole.

S

Lamb Shanks

I originally took this recipe from a Jamie Oliver Show. It is so simple but has so much flavour! I think its the balsamic that really gives it kick. After three hours the meat just falls straight off the bone. Its really so simple! Once you put it in the oven you don't need to touch it again until you're ready to eat. The meat is so tender that you almost can't tell the difference between the mash and the meat! Its all so soft and melt in your mouth...

4 lamb shanks
2 carrots
2 sticks celery peeled
1 brown onion
2 tins chopped Italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3 sprigs rosemary
1 tablespoon dried chilli
1 tablespoon plain flour
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup white wine
2 tins chopped tomato

Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Mashed potato

Using pestle and mortar, bash up coriander seeds, dried chilli, a decent few pinches of salt and pepper. Add one-tablespoon plain flour and mix together well. Coat the lamb shanks in this mix.

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with oil and fry off the lamb shanks until they are golden. Set them aside.

Using the same oil that the shanks were cooked in, add the chopped onion and fry off for a few moments then add finely chopped carrot and celery. Then add a few decent pinches of salt and pepper. Add the whole sprigs of rosemary. Add four tablespoons of balsamic and cook it off until the liquid is quite reduced. Then add white wine and cook again until it reduces. Add the two tins of tomatoes and stir through.

Place the lamb shanks in the bottom of a baking dish and pour the sauce over the top. Cover and cook in oven at 180º for around 3 hours.

Serve on a bed of mashed potato.

E.

Sathya's First Tagine

Well, I finally joined the gang. The Tagine Gang, that is. Thank you, Laura, Liz and Cath.

I was lucky enough to receive this beautiful Emile Henry cooking item on the weekend.

I quickly messaged Liz to ask her what ingredients I need to make one that day! Her reply was simple. chicken maryland, tinned tomatoes and prunes and vegetables and I should be right.

I did as I was told and when I got home I looked up a recipe I had sent Liz months earlier when she got her tagine. Unfortunately I didn't have everything needed, but it was a good guide, as I had no clue. I came up with what you will find below, and it was yummy!

I have to say, I didn't find as relaxing as I expected a slow-cook recipe to be. I obviously had her too full and she overflowed, leading to burning, which lead to firealarm games. I must admit, I was hungover, so it took me a few times to cotton and and take some liquid out, which I then added later when everything had cooked down.

1 leek, chopped
1 capsicum, diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 pieces of chicken Maryland, each cut in half
1 tin of tomatoes
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp stock/bouillon powder
500ml water
1 cinnamon quill
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
4 garlic cloves, finely diced or crushed
Salt and pepper
200 grams prunes, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 150°C.

On a large plate put the flour and salt and pepper and turn the chicken in the flour mix to coat.

Place the base of the tagine on the stove on high heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil.

Fry the chicken on each side briefly to seal.

Remove the chicken, once sealed, and put to one side.

Add a little more oil in the base and fry the leeks until soft. Add the capsicum, potatoes and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Season.

Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, water and spices and bring to a simmer.

Put the lid on the base and transfer to warm oven.

Cook in oven for 2 - 3 hours stirring occasionally.

Serve with mashed potatoes or couscous, or on its own.

I love the art of slow cooking, and to be fair you could very easily do this in a cast iron pot or casserole dish but the tagine, does somehow make a difference. I am not an expert yet, so I can't say why.

S

Beef Wat

By far my favourite of the Mistress of Spice curries so far... The meat was so tender. Its a hot dish but its just the right amount of heat. I've made it twice in one week already. I am amazed at how few ingredients it takes and how healthy such a great tasting meal can be!

1.5kg beef, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
3 good size cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
3 rounded teaspoons Mistress of Spice Berbere
800g chopped tomatoes
Salt to taste

Fry the onion unitl lightly golden then add garlic. Fry for a couple of minutes longer. Add the Mistress of Spice Berbere spices and fry for a minute to release the aroma of the blend.

Add the meat, allowing to brown, stirring occasionally to coate the pieces well and increase the absorption of the flavours.
Pour in the tomatoes. Salt to taste. Simmer for a good hour and a half or longer if you can.

This great spice mix is wonderful for its effect on the taste buds as well as healthy. Black pepper and cloves aid food digestion by increasing digestive juices, including natural stomach acid. Ayurvedic medicine use it to treat colds, flus and other infections. Chilies contain capsaicin, which, among its other advantages, is a natural painkiller.

E.