Luxurious....

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Lamb Shanks.  Once looked upon as a poor man's cut of meat, we have learned that when teamed up with bold flavors and the right cooking technique, it creates something that any one would love.  Lamb shanks are one of the less costly cuts of lamb averaging around $8.00 a pound, although that is nothing to sneeze at either. When you feel like you are wanting something a little out of the everyday, try this recipe.

Spanish-Style Lamb Shank Casserole

Ingredients

2 lamb shanks, large, 1 lb. each

6 chorizo sausages, fresh, skinned and crumbled into small pieces

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large onion, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced

14 oz of chopped tomatoes (a quality canned tomato works well)

1 tsp hot smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

flour

olive oil

salt

black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then coat the lamb shanks in flour and add them to the pan. Sear them over a high heat until golden brown, turning them half way through.

Remove the lamb shanks and hold them to one side. Add the chorizo, carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the chorizo sausage has released its oil and the vegetables are tinged with brown. Put the chorizo and vegetables into a slow-cooker (or a casserole dish) and add the spices and the canned tomatoes.

Fill the empty chopped tomato can with water and add that to the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 6 to 8 hours and then keep warm for up to 2 hours.

To cook in a conventional oven: pre-heat oven to 325°F and cook in a covered casserole dish for 3 to 4 hours depending on the size of the shanks.

Before serving, skim the fat off the surface and transfer to another serving dish if you prefer. Serve immediately with mashed sweet potatoes. (The meat just falls off the bone, so divide the meat and the casserole broth between the diners).

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Ham & Lentil Soup

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Make Ham & Lentil Soup

Ham & Lentil Soup

The perfect soup for a chilly day, make the day before as it tastes even better the next day!

Serves 8-10 servings

Prep time:   15 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 ham shank

2 bay leaves

4 litres water

50g butter

2 leeks, sliced

2 onions, peeled & chopped

2 carrots, peeled & chopped

½ swede, peeled & chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled & chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed

½ tbsp. medium curry powder

700g red lentils

A few drops of tabasco

Freshly ground salt & pepper

To serve

Crusty bread & lashings of butter

Method

1.    Place the ham shank, bay leaves and water into a large pan.  Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 2 hours and the meat is falling off the bone.  Remove the ham from the stock and allow to cool.

2.    In a large frying pan melt the butter over a medium heat and gently fry the leeks, onions, carrots, swede, potatoes and garlic for 15 minutes until softened, not browned.  Sprinkle over the curry powder and stir through for a further minute. 

3.    Place the vegetables in the pan of stock, add the lentils, bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.

4.    Remove the bay leaves and blend half of the soup and place it back with the remaining soup (I believe leaving some texture is best).

5.    Break or shred the ham into the soup and season to taste with the tabasco, salt & pepper. Enjoy!

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Surprisingly Fresh Idea for Turkey Leftovers!

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Make Surprisingly Fresh Idea for Turkey Leftovers!

After the second day or so of eating Thanksgiving leftovers, you most likely will still have turkey left.  I would freeze a portion of the left over turkey as it really does thaw and cook up beautifully again....think warmed up and served of toast with gravy mmmm, or you could make this delicious and most unexpected dish.  

Turkey and Butternut Squash Ravioli

Ingredients

Turkey and Butternut Squash Filling

1 turkey leg uncooked(or use dark meat from Thanksgiving)

1/2 of a small onion chopped

2 garlic cloves

1 butternut squash (or cooked and leftover from Thanksgiving)

1 3/4 oz of Parmesan

1/4 oz of parsley

2 tbsp of olive oil

salt

pepper

Poaching Liquid

1 tbsp. of thyme

2 bay leaves

1 carrot

1 onion

1 celery stick

1 leek

1 clove of garlic

Ravioli

1 3/4 cup of fine flour

6 egg yolks

1 egg

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of water, cold

1 pinch of salt

To Serve

2 sticks (4 ozs. each) of unsalted butter

18 sage leaves

3/4 oz of pine nut

Parmesan

3/4 cup of olive oil

Directions

Pasta Dough 

Place the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour 4 of the egg yolks into the well, along with the egg, olive oil, cold water and salt. Slowly start to fold the flour in from the edges.

Carefully continue to fold the mixture until it starts to form a dough. As it comes together, tip the mix onto the table and knead for about 4 or 5 minutes until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap or use straight away.  Or buy pre-made pasta dough or substitute wonton wrappers.

Butternut Squash

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the butternut squash in half and remove seeds, score with a knife and brush with olive oil. Place the butternut squash, cut-side up, in a baking dish. Cover with tin foil and roast in the oven until tender.  About an hour

Remove the butternut squash from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the squash into a large bowl. With a fork, mash the flesh of the squash until smooth, then set aside until needed.  Or use already made and left over butternut squash from Thanksgiving.

Turkey Leg 

Bring a pot of cold water to boil with the thyme, bay leaves, carrot, onion, celery stick, leek and garlic bulb. Once boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the liquid. Or use dark meat left over from Thanksgiving skipping the poaching step all together.

Once cool, remove the skin from turkey leg and discard. Shred the meat into bite size pieces, removing all bones and sinew.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, saute' the onion and garlic together until softened, but with no color. Remove the pan from the heat and add the turkey, butternut squash, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and mix until combined.

Allow the filling mixture to cool. Weigh the filling mixture out into 1 3/4 oz balls.

Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine, starting from the widest setting, and gradually going down the settings until the arrow is between 0 and 1. Repeat the rolling process on the last setting to ensure there is a consistent finish to the thickness of the dough. The pasta should be dry, but with no cracks and slightly elastic.

Use the 2 remaining egg yolks to make egg wash. Have a 3-1/8 in round pastry cutter or square ravioli stamp ready.

To make the ravioli, cut your sheets of rolled pasta into 21 inch lengths. Place a sheet of pasta on a lightly floured work surface and brush lightly with the egg wash. Place balls of the turkey mixture in two rows with gaps between each one. There should be 10-12 balls of filling in total evenly spaced on the sheet of pasta.

Take another sheet of pasta and gently cover the turkey balls that have been placed on the base sheet. Stretch the dough over to meet the edges of the bottom pasta sheet and press gently around each turkey ball to form a dome.

Using the pastry cutter or ravioli stamp, cut out the raviolis around the turkey balls. Pick each ravioli up individually and using your thumb and forefinger, gently squeeze out any air and seal the edges. Store on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat the process until all of the turkey mix is enclosed.

Toast the pine nuts until golden brown and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook for about 4 minutes, until they are tender and rise to the top. Use a large slotted spoon to gently lift the ravioli from the water.

While the ravioli are cooking, finely chop half the sage. Heat the butter until it browns (not burns), remove from the heat and add the sage leaves.

In a separate pan, fry the remaining sage leaves in hot olive oil until crisp and drain on absorbent kitchen towel. Add the ravioli to the brown butter pan (used for the chopped sage leaves) and toss gently to coat.

Transfer the ravioli’s onto warm plates, finish with more brown butter, sage leaves, pine nuts and grated Parmesan. Serve immediately with a green salad.

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Spaghetti with Green Olive Puttanesca

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Make Spaghetti with Green Olive Puttanesca

Spaghetti with Green Olive Puttanesca

This is a wonderfully tasty quick and easy mid-week meal. Chilli, Capers, Anchovies, Olives and Tomatoes - what a perfect combination!

Serves 4

Prep time:   5 -10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped

1 small red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped

10 anchovies from a jar, drained & finely chopped

115g green olives, pitted

2 tbsp capers, drained

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

To serve

400g dried spaghetti, cooked as per packet instructions

Freshly grated parmesan

Fresh parsley, chopped

Method

1.  Place the oil in a large frying pan and heat, add the garlic and chilli and gently cook for 2 minutes.  Add the anchovies, olives, capers and tomatoes. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

2.  Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and toss until fully coated.

3.  Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and parmesan, enjoy!

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A Holiday Classic?

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Make A Holiday Classic?

I know how important family recipes are on Holidays.  We sit down to dinner with family and friends and have come to expect certain dishes that have been handed down to us from our Great Grandmothers and more.  With that being said, I try every once in a while to take one of those heirloom dishes and change them up a bit without totally changing the recipe keeping those very import memories intact.  This dish is a perfect example.  It requires you to prepare it the day before eliminating just one more dish that you won't have to fuss with on the Holiday.  Dauphinoise is the nomenclature given because of it's origins in Dauphiné, a region in south-east France.

Potato Dauphinoise

Serves 2

60 minutes, plus up to 12 hours setting time

Ingredients

1 lb.  of Small Yukon or white potatoes, peeled and finely sliced

7 oz of double cream

2 pinches of ground nutmeg

12 oz  of whole milk

1 garlic clove, minced

salt

pepper

Directions

Finely slice the potatoes using a mandoline and set aside in cold  water until required. (This method will keep your potatoes from turning brown).

Combine the cream, milk, nutmeg, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and set aside.

Strain the water off the potatoes and layer inside a small oven dish lined with parchment paper, being sure to overlap each layer as you go.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pour enough of the cream mixture over the potatoes to cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until slightly golden on top and tender through the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and lay as may can goods as need to weigh down the potatoes (pressing). Place in the refrigerator to press for up to 12 hours.

Remove the weights and plastic wrap. Reheat the potato dauphinoise in the oven set to 350°F for 15 minutes. Divide into 4 portions and serve immediately as a side dish.

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Sweet Potato Biscuits – Before or After

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Make Sweet Potato Biscuits – Before or After

I originally planned for these sweet potato biscuits to be this year’s Thanksgiving leftover recipe, but they came out so well, I decided to upgrade them, and I’m now officially suggesting you make these as one of the centerpieces for your feast. The downside of that plan is that you’ll have to share them with your guests.

Adding things like mashed sweet potatoes can cause all sorts of issues in a biscuit recipe, since they need to take the place of some of your “wet” ingredients, and considering how much thicker they are than something like buttermilk, over-mixing the dough can occur. By the time the potato mixture is incorporated, you can develop too much gluten, which can make biscuits tough.  

So, to protect against that, we’ll do most of the mixing while we form and fold our dough on the work surface. Not only does this make for a tender biscuit, but as you saw, we also get lots of beautifully buttery layers.

These are amazing with just plain butter, but for a little seasonal twist, I made a pomegranate spread, and have explained how to do that below. No matter what you serve this with, I really do hope you give these amazing sweet potato biscuits a try soon Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 large or 12 normally sized Sweet Potato Biscuits:

1 1/2 cup mashed orange sweet potatoes (cooked in well-salted water, drained thoroughly)

3 1/4 cups *self-rising flour 
(*if using all-purpose flour, add 4 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 1/2 tsp fine salt)

1 rounded tablespoon brown sugar

12 tablespoons ice cold butter, grated in

1/2 cup buttermilk

For the pomegranate spread:

4 tablespoons room temp butter

1 teaspoon pomegranate syrup, aka pomegranate molasses (you can make your own by reducing juice until it thickens)

1 teaspoon fresh pomegranate juice, for a better color

fresh pomegranate seeds to garnish

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The BEST Cottage Pie

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Make The BEST Cottage Pie

This has to be comfort food at its best. A perfect family meal!

Serves 6-8

Prep time:  20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the mince

2 tbsp olive oil

1kg lean minced beef

2 onions, finely chopped

2 celery sticks finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 parsnips, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped

10 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only

2 tbsp tomato puree

350ml red wine

800ml beef stock

A few splashes of Worcestershire sauce

150g frozen peas

1 ½ tbsp cornflour

Salt & freshly ground pepper

For the mash

1.5kg King Edward potatoes, peeled & chopped

100g butter

150ml double cream

Salt & freshly ground pepper

75g mature cheddar, grated

 Method

1.  Heat a large frying pan and then add a tablespoon of olive oil, add the mince in small batches until browned all over and set aside.

2.  Now a tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan and gently fry the onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, garlic and thyme for 5 minutes until softened.  Add the tomato puree fry for one minute and then add the mince.

3.  Deglaze the frying pan which you cooked the mince in with red wine, cook for 3-4 minutes until it has reduced by half.

4.  Add the stock to the pan and let simmer for 45 minutes.  Place the cornflour in a small bowl and add 2 tbsp liquid from the pan and mix through.  Add to the pan with a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and the frozen peas.  Season to taste.

5.  Preheat the oven at 200°C/180°C/Gas mark 6.

6. For the mash, place the potatoes in a pan of salted water bring to the boil and then simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and the mash with a potato masher or ricer.  Add the cream and butter and mix well until you have a smooth mash.

7.  Put the mince into a baking dish and top with the mash and sprinkle over the grated cheese.  Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the mash is golden brown.  Serve by itself or with your favourite vegetables, enjoy!

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Rustic yet Sumptuous!

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A beautifully cut of beef cooked to perfection sided by a rustic artichoke gratin.......What more can one say?

Beef Filet with Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin

Ingredients

Serves 4

Prep time: 1 hour - 10 minutes

Filet

1 short filet beef, tail end removed

8 oz of rainbow chard, washed and picked

2 tbs of butter

salt

pepper

Artichoke Gratin

7  oz Jerusalem artichoke, peeled and sliced

4 oz of smoked bacon, boiled and diced

2 tbs of butter

3 oz of heavy whipping cream

3 oz of milk

2 oz of Parmesan, grated

4 chives, finely chopped

salt

pepper

Plate

3 fl oz of beef stock, reduced

1 1/2 tbs of Madeira

Artichoke Gratin

Fry the diced bacon in the butter until crispy. Drain and set aside.

Place the artichokes in a small saucepan with the cream and milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until tender but still holding their shape. Drain the artichokes and put the liquid back onto the stove to reduce. When creamy, add the artichokes and bacon and season.

Divide this mixture between four small heatproof pots or ramekins and top with the cheese and a sprinkling of chives, and when ready place under the broiler and cook until golden.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Season and seal the beef in a hot, oven-proof pan, then place in the oven until cooked to your liking (8 -10 minutes will give medium rare). Allow to rest and cut into 4 generous portions.

While the beef rests, broil the gratins and sauté the chard in the butter until wilted and tender. Season and set aside.

Place the chard onto a warm plate and top with a piece of the beef. Season the cut surface of the meat and place a gratin alongside. Warm through the beef au jus and add the Madeira, then spoon over and serve.

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Turducken? Not So Much......Read On!

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Make Turducken? Not So Much......Read On!

Turducken has always sounded to me a bit pedestrian....With that being said, lets elevate an intriguing idea to a level a little more sophisticated and of course, delicious.

Five Bird Roast

Ingredients

2 duck breasts, large

2 duck legs, large

2 chicken breasts, large

4 grouse breasts

4 pheasant breasts

6 partridge breasts

11 oz of sausage meat

3 oz of cranberries, semi-dried

3 oz of pistachio nuts, chopped

1 tsp juniper berries, crushed

air-dried ham, 16-20 slices, Parma ham or similar

Directions

Poultry

Ensuring your boning knife is very sharp, bone out the duck legs by cutting out and removing all of the bone and cartilage. Cut each of the duck breasts and chicken breasts into 3, length ways, and slice the duck legs into strips.  This is the time to ask a favor of your butcher, but you are up to it!

Stuffing

Place the sausage meat, cranberries, pistachios and juniper berries in a bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.

Lay several layers of plastic wrap measuring approximately 2 ft x 11 3/4 in out onto a work surface. Lay the slices of ham onto the plastic wrap to form a rectangular base (smaller than the plastic wrap) to start building the roast.

Lay the duck breast in a line down the center of the ham, then lay a thin layer of the  sausage stuffing mix (about half of the mix) on one side of the length of the duck. Lay the chicken strips along on the other side of the duck, end-to-end to cover the exposed length of ham.

Repeat with the grouse, pheasant and partridge breasts and duck leg until all of the meat (except the stuffing) is used up - the ingredients should all be laid out in even lines. Top with the remaining stuffing mix.

To roll the roast, take one side of the plastic wrap and roll and wrap the ham over to encase the meat and stuffing, forming a large sausage encased in the ham and plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to rest overnight.

To cook, preheat a water bath, souve, to 167°F making sure the roast is completely sealed in plastic wrap(I use a food sealer bag in this application), cook for 2 1/2 hours. After this time, remove from the plastic wrap, place in a roasting tray and cook at 350°F for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. To check that it is cooked, slide in a sharp knife - the juices should run clear.

If you don't have a water bath, remove the roast from the plastic wrap and carefully wrap in foil. Roast in the oven at 325°F/ for 2 hours, then remove the foil and roast for a further 1 - 1 1/2 hours at 350°F until the juices run clear.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes. Cut into thick slices and serve.

Serve accompanied by wild rice, asparagus with Bernaise and a light poultry demi-glaze.

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Let's Get Fishy With It!

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Make Let's Get Fishy With It!

In case you missed the reference, Let's Get Jiggy With It was released by Wil Smith in 1997 lol!  In this case, the song has nothing to do with this delicious recipe, it's just an attempt to have some fun and get everyone into  the kitchen and cook!  Sea Bass, artichokes, leeks, shallots, garlic, Parma ham and more....what could be bad?

Fillet of Sea Bass with Parma Ham, Sauteed Artichokes and Watercress

Ingredients

Sea Bass

4 sea bass fillets, large

olive oil

salt

pepper

Red Wine Sauce

3/4 cup of red wine, fruity

1/2 shallot, chopped

1/4 leek, finely chopped

1/2 bulb of garlic

1/4 bunch of rosemary

2 star anise

2 oz of fish trimmings

3/4 cup of dark chicken stock

vegetable oil

Artichoke Purée

10 Jerusalem artichokes, large, peeled

4 oz of double cream

salt

To Plate

2 slices of bread

1 handful of sun-dried tomatoes

2 globe artichokes, cooked hearts only

2 handfuls of watercress

1/2 lemon

4 slices of Parma ham

olive oil

Directions

Red Wine Sauce

Place a saucepan over a medium heat. Add a small drizzle of vegetable oil and sweat the shallots, leek, garlic, rosemary and star anise until soft with no color.

Add the fish trimmings and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the red wine, bring to the boil and cook until the pan is almost dry. This is called a reduction and when will intensify the flavor.

Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and reduce for about 1 hour until it resembles a thin gravy and has a rich flavor. Pass through a fine strainer lined with muslin cloth (or a chinoise) and set aside.

Jerusalem Artichoke Purée

Medium dice the peeled artichokes and place in a saucepan. Cover with water, season with salt, bring to a gentle boil and cook until tender This will take 15-25 minutes, depending on the consistency of the artichokes.

Drain and transfer the artichokes to a food processor. Blend and add enough of the cream to form a smooth, thin purée. Set aside and keep warm.

Croutons

Cut the crust off the bread and discard. Cut the white into 1/2 in cubes and fry in olive oil until crisp and golden. Drain on paper, towels and season with salt and set aside.

Sea Bass

Place a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add a small drizzle of vegetable oil to the pan and once hot, gently place the sea bass fillets in 2 at a time, skin side down. Use a spatula to apply a firm amount of pressure to the fish keeping the skin flat to the surface of the pan helping achieve an overall even golden color.

Cook for 2-3 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy. Use the fish spatula or thin flipper to slide under the skin and turn over to cook on the opposite side for 2-3 more minutes. Repeat with the other 2 fillets, remove from the pan, season with salt and pepper and place in a warm spot to rest and finish cooking.

Globe Artichokes

Cut the globe artichoke hearts into 6 small wedges and add to pan which contained the fish, cook until golden. Remove and set aside with the fish to keep warm.

Plating

Place 3 pieces of artichoke and 3 pieces of dried tomato in a circle around the outside of 4 hot plates. Sprinkle over a few croutons and some of the watercress.

Place some of the hot artichoke purée in the middle and top with the fish. Squeeze some of the lemon over the plate and drizzle with olive oil.

Tear the Parma ham into pieces and dot around the plates to garnish. Finish with a spoon of the red wine sauce, lightly place a few sprigs of the watercress and serve immediately.

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Peposo dell'Impruneta - Making Bad Beef Better Since Before Columbus

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Some recipes have amusing, or romantic stories for how they came to be, but this peposo isn’t one of them, unless you consider making bad quality beef taste better by covering it in black pepper, amusing or romantic.

As the story goes, the workers who made terracotta tiles in the city of Impruneta, would place this stew into clay pots, and leave it their still-hot kilns overnight, where it would be ready the next morning. Since they were often stuck using less than fresh meat, copious amounts of black peppercorn was used to make the beef palatable.

Luckily, this recipe adapts quite nicely to fresh meat, and produces one of the more uniquely flavored braised beef dishes I’ve ever had. The amount of black pepper is up to you, but even the ridiculous amount I used wasn’t overpowering. The acidity and sweetness of the reduced wine balances everything beautifully.

I hear that beef shank is the traditional cut of meat to use, but short ribs worked really well. You could even use some beef chuck, cut into two-inch pieces, but you’d have to adjust the cooking time. Having said that, forget the time, and keep cooking until a fork goes in easily. Regardless of which cut you use, or how fresh it is, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

6 bone-in beef short ribs (about 8 to 10 ounces each)

1 tablespoon kosher salt to coat the beef

8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons black peppercorns, freshly crushed

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

3-4 sage leaves

3-4 small sprigs rosemary

2 cups red wine, preferably Chianti

2 bay leaves

salt to taste, to adjust sauce

- Simmer on low, covered, about 3 1/2 hours, or until fork tender. Turn occasionally.

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Delicious and Savory!

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Make Delicious and Savory!

With just a few ingredients and a little time, you will create a very not so "hum drum" chicken dish.  Chicken is still so cost effective for families and a great source of protein and flavor.  It's our job to make sure that we do out very best to keep being creative and preparing meals for our friends and family that they will love.

Chicken with Wild Mushrooms and Leeks

Ingredients

Serves 2

Total Time:  50 minutes

2 chicken breasts

1/2 stick of butter

1 large shallot

1 dash of white wine

1/4 cup of water

1 fl oz of whipping cream

1 3/4 oz of wild mushrooms

4 baby leeks

2 tsp fresh tarragon

1 dash of lemon juice

Directions

In a heavy pan (cast iron) melt 1 oz of the butter and seal the chicken breast, skin side down.

Peel and slice the shallots and add along with the white wine. Bring to a boil.

Add water, cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350 degrees until cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken and let rest for 10 minutes under foil. Strain chicken liquid through a sieve into another pan.

Trim the baby leeks and steam for a few minutes until tender. Slice length wise and put aside.

Bring the chicken liquid to the boil and add the mushrooms and cook for about 1 minute before adding the cream. Once again bring to a boil.

Whisk in the butter little by little, add the cooked leeks, chicken and tarragon. Season with sea salt and freshly milled pepper as necessary and a few drops of lemon juice.

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Beef & Ale Casserole with Horseradish & Stilton Dumplings

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Make Beef & Ale Casserole with Horseradish & Stilton Dumplings

An extremely simple to make beef and ale casserole which is full of flavour!  The dumplings make this dish... this is a definite must try!

Serves 4

Preparation time:  15 minutes

Cooking time:  2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the casserole:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large onions, thickly sliced

750g braising steak, cut into 2-3cm cubes

3 tbsp plain flour

Freshly ground pepper & salt

2 large carrots, peeled & sliced

2 tbsp demerara sugar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp tomato puree

550ml bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale

For the Dumplings:

200g self-raising flour

100g vegetable or beef suet

½ tsp salt

75g Stilton, crumbled

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 tbsp hot horseradish (from a jar)

150ml water

To serve:

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Steamed green vegetables

Preparation method

1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 3.

2.  Heat the oil in a large casserole and add the onions, cook until they start to colour.  

3.  In a large bowl toss the beef in the flour and season well.  Add to the casserole (there is no need to brown the meat).  Now add all the remaining casserole ingredients and bring to the boil.  Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 1 ½ hours.

4.  In the meantime, make the dumplings.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, suet and salt using your fingertips to break up the suet.  Now add the Stilton and the parsley.

5.  Combine the horseradish and the water together then place in the bowl.  Bring the mixture together with your hands until you have a dough consistency.  Then, using your hands roll the dough into 8-10 balls and set aside and cover.

6.  When the beef is soft and tender, season to taste.  Now drop the dumplings on top, cover with the lid and return to the oven for 30 minutes.

7.  Now that the dumplings have puffed up, remove the lid and raise the temperature to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 4.  Cook until the dumplings have developed a crust.  Scatter with parsley and serve on warm plates with steamed green vegetable, enjoy!

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