Posted: October 31, 2011 | Author: Admin | Filed under: Beef, Vegetables | Tags: Beef, Carrots, Mushrooms, Peas, Stew |
No use to fight Autumn anymore – it is arrived and is here to stay until Winter shows up. It is now time to start cooking food that makes you forget the cold outside and puts a note of color in your day.
Beef stew with sweet carrots, peas and mushrooms
Ingredients
- 450g of beef, cut in cubes
- 50g of flour (or maizena)
- 250g of button mushrooms
- 3 onions, cut in half moons
- 5 carrots, cut in 2cm slices
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 100ml of red wine
- 1 spring of rosemary
- 200ml of stock
- 250g of peas (I used frozen peas)
- olive oil as required
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it shimmer. Toss the mushrooms. Let them fry until soft and fragrant. Reserve.
Place the beef cubes and flour in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Shake off the excess of flour. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until it shimmer. Add half the floured meat and fry until sealed and meat has begun to brown. Be careful not too put too many pieces in the frying pan. Instead of frying, the meat will boil to death, with rather unpleasant results. Reserve the meat.
To the same frying pan, add the onion and the carrots. Pan fry until the onions are caramelised and the carrots are soft, stirring occasionally (It will take about 15minutes). Add the grounded garlic and let it combine with the vegetables, stirring for about 1 minute. Take all out of the frying pan and reserve. Pour in the pan approximately 100 mL of red wine stir well to combine and deglaze the frying pan. When the sauce starts to thicken, toss in the meat and reserved vegetables. Mix well to combine, and then add the vegetable stock. Add the bay leave and the rosemary spring.
When it comes to boil, toss the peas in and let simmer for about 15min, until the stock reduces to half and the sauce is a bit thick. Take out from the stove and let it rest for a bit.
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Posted: March 5, 2011 | Author: Admin | Filed under: Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tags: Apricots, Carrots, Chickpeas, Pumpkin, Spices |
A special roast required for ultra special roasted vegetables. That was why I used a modification to the Yotam Ottolenghi’s ultimate winter couscous recipe I cooked a few weeks back (orignal post
here). Follow the methods, and then forget to add the chickpeas and the couscous (water is still needed to keep it moist, though).
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Posted: November 30, 2010 | Author: Admin | Filed under: Grains, Pulses and lentils, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tags: Apricots, Carrots, Chickpeas, Couscous, Parsnips, Pumpkin, Roast, Spices, Yotam Ottolenghi |
Another recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi‘s column The new vegetarian on the Guardian. It took me a while to realize that it was worthwhile to face an inordinate amount of ingredients: his recipes are absolutely delicious and full of flavors. This one has over 20 ingredients, but it is very straight forward. Plus, the veggies can be done in bulk to eat latter (reheating won’t change its organoleptic properties). Seriously, how hard can it be to roast some vegetables and put them on top of couscous?
The ultimate Winter couscous
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks (it is easier to be blessed with a sunny day in November than finding parsnips in Switzerland. I replaced it with a different type of pumpkin).
- 8 shallots, peeled
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- half teaspoon of salt
- half teaspoon ground ginger
- half teaspoon ground turmeric
- half teaspoon paprika
- half teaspoon chilli flakes
- 300g squash, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks (weight after cleanning)
- 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped
- 200g chickpeas (cooked or tinned)
- 350ml water (or chickpea liquor)
- 170g couscous
- 1 big pinch saffron fronds
- 260ml vegetable stock
- 20g butter, cut into small pieces
- 25g harissa (I ignored it)
- 25g preserved lemon, finely chopped (I ignored it)
- 1 handful picked coriander leaves (I forgot to add, but at the speed this was eaten it didn’t seem to be instrumental for the recipe)
Methods
Preheat the oven to 190oC/gas mark 5. Put the carrots, parsnips and shallots into a large, oven-proof dish, add the cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, four tablespoons of oil, half a teaspoon of salt and all the spices, and mix. Roast for 15 minutes, then add the squash, stir and roast for 35 minutes more, by which time the vegetables should have softened but retained their bite. Add the apricots, chickpeas and liquid, then return to the oven for 10 minutes, until hot.
Around 15 minutes before the vegetables will be ready, put the couscous in a heatproof bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, the saffron and half a teaspoon of salt. Boil the stock, pour over the couscous and cover with clingfilm. Leave for 10 minutes, then add the butter and fluff up with a fork until it melts in. Cover again and leave somewhere warm (I followed the couscous instructions for time and volume).
To serve, fill the base of a deep plate with couscous. Stir the harissa and lemon into the vegetables, taste, adjust the seasoning and spoon on to the centre of the couscous. Garnish with lots of coriander.
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