This is a stew made rich and dark as sin with stout, but it’s the blue cheese dumplings that make it stand out. Unintentional rhyming there, but fear not, I’ll still blog when they make me poet laureate. If you think that’s delusional you should know my first draft had me channelling Good King Wenceslas. The poetry gig is a step down from the monarchy but follow boldly in my footsteps anyway. Continue reading
Category Archives: Beef
Beef, Quince and Prune Pudding
This is the best sort of comfort food, the flavours bursting out of that glorious suet crust with beefy, fruity bravado. I think I’m in danger of over-egging this particular pudding but honestly, give it a go before the quince season slips through our fingers, it’s really good. Continue reading
Ox Cheeks with Quince and Pomegranate
Beef, or ox, cheeks are perfect for slow cooking, cheap and full of flavour. They’re well worth seeking out. A good butcher should be able to help and you can also ask him/her to trim them up for you, although that’s easy enough to do at home.
I’ve cooked them here with quince and pomegranate in a Persian/Iranian-inspired stew. Meltingly soft meat and a gently spiced, sour/sweet fruity sauce – delicious.This is one of the best things I’ve made this year. Continue reading
Saltimbocca
Saltimbocca means ‘leap in the mouth’, presumably because it’s so good your tastebuds jump for joy. Like so much Italian food, it’s the simplest of dishes, its impact relying on good ingredients and precise cooking. Continue reading
Old Cow
If you are what you eat, then on one memorable occasion recently, I was an old cow. Stop heckling at the back of the room, I’ve heard it all before, often from my own family. Continue reading
Beef Short Ribs with Quince
Yes, yet another quince recipe, but it’s a good one. Faced with a glut, I’ve been searching my historical British cookery books for a meat-and-quince recipe but can’t find one, which is odd when you think we’ve been cooking these gloriously perfumed fruits since medieval times. Our ancestors seemed to use them exclusively for sweet dishes but if you know different, I’d love to hear from you.
So today’s dish is based on the fragrant Persian/Iranian stew Khoresht-e Beh. Continue reading
Hot and Spicy Steak Salad
Not so much a recipe, this, more a series of suggestions. At its simplest a steak salad is just that, strips of juicy rare steak, hot from the pan, piled on top of a green salad. How you marinade the steak (if you do) and what you put in the salad is up to you. It makes a fast and healthy supper, if you politely ignore the fries Him Outdoors had on the side. Continue reading
Beef in Mulled Wine
This makes a generous meal for a big family dinner, the flavours given a warm glow with seasonal spices and smoky chipotle chilli. It’s a good make-ahead dish for the Christmas and New Year period, an easy way to feed the masses (no pun intended). Continue reading
Minute Steaks with Chimichurri
I was once whizzing down from the top of a mountain in Argentina in a rather antiquated cable car when its operator fixed with me an evil grin and said: “Remember the Malvinas!” Fortunately for me he was only joking and in spite of any lingering feelings (on either side) about the Falklands War I met with nothing but warmth and friendship as I travelled around the country.
For a month I lived almost entirely on steak. Continue reading
Rogan Josh Cottage Pie
I realise I may be trampling over cherished childhood memories here, but I find English cottage pie quite boring, no matter how well it is made. This Anglo-Indian mash-up is another kettle of fish entirely. It’s perfect for a rainy night any time of the year. Continue reading