Scottish Stovies

This is actually my husbands recipe, he is the "stovies maker" in our house. I think most Scottish kids grow up eating stovies ... it's so cheap & easy. Traditionally, you bunged all your left overs from your roast dinner (beef and potatoes) in a pot with some onions & stock and simmer it all down in a pot on the stove (hence the name). Some areas use sausages, mince or Lorne, some add other veg (carrots, peas etc) but the stovies I grew up with were made from corned beef. We serve ours with oatcakes to scoop it up with.

Serves 4
5 medium potatoes, peeled & sliced 1cm think
2 onions, sliced
1 tin of corned beef (replace with leftover mince/cooked sausages/roast beef trimmings if you prefer)
Dripping/lard (or oil) for frying
1 beef stock cubes
Water.

Heat the dripping in a large saucepan. Gently fry the onions until completely softened but not coloured. Add the potatoes to the pan, cover with water to halfway up your potato/onion mix & crumble in the stock cube. Mix, and allow to bubble away until the stock is almost all absorbed. This will take about 30 minutes. Add the crumbled corned beef & stir through - then allow the mixture to thicken up by letting it simmer/bubble for another few minutes. Serve with oatcakes.

Beef in Oyster Sauce

This is a great, simple but quick meal idea for those days you are rushed off your feet (which seems to be every day for me just now!). This tasted amazing, and you could serve it with some rice or noodles. You could change the vegetables for what ever you have in, carrots, courgette & onion would all work well too. This makes lots, so there were leftovers for lunch the next day.

Serves 2

300g rump steak, thinly sliced
150g chestnut mushrooms
150g kale or sliced greens
150g baby corn/mange tout
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
Piece of ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed

Mix the 2 sauces together & set aside.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan & quickly brown the steak strips. Remove to a warm plate. Fry the ginger & garlic for 1 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Fry those for a few minutes, then add the other veg. Stir fry for a few more minutes, then tip in the sauce. Warm the sauce through then add the steak back to the pan. let the whole thing heat up for about 5/6 minutes, then serve.

Oxtail Stew

A friend recommended I try this, even though I was a bit wary of trying or cooking with oxtail. For some reason, it just didn't occur to me that it would be like beef, seeing as it is from the same animal! This did taste like a very rich, unctuous beef stew. I thought it tasted amazing! The secret is the long, slow cooking. I did it in my oven, set at about 130c for 6 hours, but it would work just as well in a slow cooker. Put your slow cooker on low, for as long as you can. I will certainly be making it again. Perfect served with creamy thick mash on a cold, snowy day.

Serves 4

4 large pieces of oxtail
Oil for frying
4 carrots, chopped
6 shallots, peeled but left whole (or use 2 onions, diced)
Half of a large swede, peeled & diced
2 large leeks, sliced
1 whole star anise
3 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole but crushed slightly
1 bay leaf
1 litre of beef stock
Salt & pepper to season

Preheat your oven to 130c (or use a slow cooker). In an oven & hob proof casserole dish, fry the oxtail on all side until coloured. Remove from the heat, and add all the other ingredients. Pop into the oven, covered, for 6 hours. Before serving, remove the bones - the meat should just fall off.

Chinese Beef & Vegetables

On a Friday night, I just like a quick & easy dinner to prepare. Its the end of the week, everyone is tired and looking forward to the weekend - and finances don't stretch to a takeaway! This can be put together quite quickly and has minimum fuss. The kids really enjoyed this, I served it with egg fried rice, though they have requested noodles next time.

Serves 4

400g strips of beef/steak
300g tenderstem broccoli
1 onion, sliced
5 large chestnut mushrooms, sliced
2 fat garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 large carrot, cut into small thin strips
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
Oil for frying (I used sesame but sunflower would work)

In a large wok, fry the beef strips for 2/3 minutes in some oil. When all coloured, remove to a warm plate. Add a splash of water to the wok, and add the broccoli. Stir fry until the broccoli is bright green, then remove to the plate. Add some more oil, and fry the onion & carrot until softened, then add the garlic & mushrooms. Fry for 3  more minutes then tip in the beef & broccoli. Add the oyster sauce and 250ml of water, and allow to reduce to a sticky sauce. Serve with rice or noodles.

How I Cook My Steaks ...

Everyone has their favourite way of cooking a steak. Ask about, and the methods are wide & varied. This is my particular way of doing it - having seen Heston do this on his Heston At Home series. I now use this method for gammon steaks & pork chops too, all turn out delicious!

Allow your steak to come to room temperature before cooking, in the open air to dry.
Sprinkle with a little salt (no pepper, add this afterwards, it will burn whilst cooking)
Heat a frying pan with a little oil to a high heat
Add the steak and allow to sizzle for 15 seconds (ish, its not exact)
Flip your steak
Flip again after another 15 seconds.
Repeat the 15 second flipping until it is cooked to your liking.
Allow to stand for 10/15 minutes, to allow the juices to all soak back in. This is an important step for a juicy steak.
Season & serve!

I like mine medium, sometimes medium rare, served with chips & onion rings, or creamed leeks & fried mushrooms.

I would love to hear your steak-cooking method, leave a comment below ....>

Kids Can Cook - Mince & Dumplings

My 12 year old daughter has always shown an interest in cooking (just like her mum), but I feel she is now old enough to start to use cookbooks & prepare a proper meal for the family. I bought this great wee cookbook for her, called Maw Broons Cooking For Bairns. As anyone Scottish person would know, The Broons are a cartoon family who are typically Scottish. I love getting my Broons book every Christmas! There have been a few cookery books released, and this one caught my eye. What better way for my daughter to cook than to learn the old-fashioned Scots way!

The meal she decided on was mince & doughballs (dumplings). It had just a few ingredients, and just one pot (minimal mess, I was thinking). She managed very well, and produced a meal for herself & her siblings - who all enjoyed it. I will definitely be letting her loose in the kitchen more often!

500g beef mince
2 carrots, diced
2 onions diced
Salt & pepper to season
500ml beef stock
2 tablespoons oil

150g self raising flour
50g suet
salt & pepper
3.5 tablespoons water

Heat up a large saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of oil on a medium heat. Fry the onion for about 7 minutes, until soft & golden. Add the mince, and stir in with the onions. Cook until all the mince has browned. Add the carrots & stock and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

To make the dumplings, mix the suet, flour & water with your hands and make into 8 balls. Add to the top of the mince after you have added he stock.

Swedish Meatballs with Dill sauce (like Ikea)

I have never tried Ikea meatballs, but I have heard everyone rave about them. With no Ikea near me, I have had to make my own to see what the fuss is all about :) Well, they went down a storm in our household! I have had requests from them all to make them again, soon. I was wary about having meatballs in a creamy sauce, but it worked and it was delicious. I think you are supposed to serve them with lingonberry sauce, but I am unlikely to find that in our small town, so I substituted cranberry. Tasted lovely, so I think it was good substitute. I am looking forward to making these again, I liked them a lot more than I thought I would. I served ours with boiled new potatoes. For a low carb version, leave out the breadcrumbs and serve with veg ribbons instead of potatoes.

Serves 4
200g minced beef
250g minced pork
1 egg
1 small onion, blitzed or finely diced
100g of breadcrumbs
pinch of nutmeg
oil for frying
200ml beef stock
200ml double cream
400g  new potatoes
fresh dill chopped
cranberry sauce to serve

Combine the mince, egg, onion, breadcrumbs nutmeg & salt & pepper, and really get it mixed with your hands. Form into small walnut size meatballs. Heat up the oil in a  frying pan to a medium heat, and brown the meatballs on all sides. Add the stock & cream, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly. Sprinkle with dill & serve with a dollop of cranberry sauce & potatoes.

Beef Stew & Dumplings

Is there anything more warming than a bubbling pot of beef stew? The house smells divine, and everyone was hungry & eager to tuck in - just what I love. I love my dumplings to soak up the gravy underneath, but crispy on top. Everyone likes them different though - how do you like yours? Serves 4, you could serve mash alongside to make it go further.
 
2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
1 onion , chopped
2 really big carrots , halved lengthways then very chunkily sliced
5 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 beef stock cubes , crumbled
850g stewing beef cut into nice large chunks

 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Put the kettle on. Put the celery, onion, carrots, bay and 1 thyme sprig in a casserole with 1 tbsp oil and the butter. Soften for 10 mins, then stir in the flour until it doesn't look dusty anymore, followed by the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cubes. 

Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, then tip in the beef and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and put in the oven for 2hrs 30 mins, then uncover and cook for 30mins - 1hr more until the meat is really tender and the sauce is thickened.


Dumplings

125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

60g suet

water, to make a dough

 Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the suet and enough water to form a thick dough. With floured hands, roll spoonfuls of the dough into small balls. Drop them on top of the stew for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time.

Beef Stew with Gremolata

The weather has taken a nose-dive, it was quite chilly today. The perfect weather for a stew! This is a quick one to put together, then slow cook for 3/4 hours on a low heat. You could probably do it in a slow cooker too, but would need to thicken the sauce at the end. I really recommend the gremolata topping, it brings out the amazing flavours. I made a huge pot, and had very little leftovers! I wish Id had some crusty bread to mop up the juices, I will remember for next time!

Olive oil & a knob of butter
600g beef stewing steak
Tablespoon seasoned flour
Handfull of chopped sage leaves
1 onion chopped
500g small potatoes
Half a butternut squash, peeled & chopped
2 parsnips peeled & chopped
4 carrots, peeled & chopped
2 tblsp tomato puree
200ml red wine
300 ml beef stock

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Heat the oil/butter in a large oven proof pot on a medium heat. Fry the onion & sage leaves for about 5 minutes. Season the beef in the flour. Add the beef, vegetables, tomato puree, wine and stock. Cover, and pop into the oven.Allow to cook for 3/4 hours, until the beef is meltingly soft.

Gremolata

1 garlic clove finely chopped
Large sprig of rosemary (leaves only) finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon

Mix together, and sprinkle on top of the stew once it has been served up into bowls.

Beef Pot Roast

I was recently sent this great cookbook, Grandma's Quick & Thrifty Cookbook, to review. This would make a great gift for someone who has just started to cook. There are lots of tips & tricks, lots of easy recipes and a section at the back on how to make gravy/sauces etc.

I am eager to try out some of the cakes & puddings that are in here. The first recipe I tried though was pot roast beef brisket - a lovely cheap piece of meat. It came out so tender! We had it with roast potatoes and yorkshire puddings. I will be trying out more recipes from this book in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! You can buy your own copy here LINK.

2 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp mustard powder
1.2kg beef shoulder.topside/brisket
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled & diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 slices rindless bacon, diced
2 bay leaves
250ml beef stock

Mix the flour & mustard powder, and coat the beef with it. Heat the oil in a large pot, and seal the beef on all sides. Remove to a plate, and add the chopped vegetables to the pot. Fry & soften them, then add the bay leaves & stock. Bring to a simmer, then place the beef on top. Cover, turn the heat low and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the beef, let rest for 15 minutes. Carve into slices, and serve with the vegetables & gravy poured over.

Slow Cooked Chinese Beef Stew & Crispy Kale

Another meal that you can just stick in the slow cooker! You coudl also do this in the oven, for around 2 hours. The meat comes out so meltingly soft, and the chinese flavours are delicious. Makes a great change from the usual slow cooker stew. I served ours with vermicelli noodles and crispy kale (tastes quite like crispy seaweed).

750g braising beef
1 bunch spring onions , sliced
3 garlic cloves , sliced
Half red pepper, sliced
10 button mushrooms, sliced
an inch of root ginger , grated
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 star anise
4 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
2 tbsp soy sauce

Place everything in the slow cooker, and cook for around 6 hours. No need to brown the meat first!

Crispy kale -

Half a bag of shredded kale
Olive oil
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200c.  Coat the kale lightly in olive oil and spread out on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes, until it is just starting to go golden at the edges.

Hoisin Beef

I love hoisin sauce! It is one of my favourite Chinese flavours. We all love noodles in our house, so nobody minded having them twice in one week. The girls would have noodles every day if I let them. You could add whatever vegetables your family like to this dish, especially spring onion, baby corn or spring greens. I went for carrot, chesnut mushrooms and mange tout, as that is what I had in the fridge to use up. The sesame seeds do add a lovely taste, so add them if you can.

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp sesame oil
1 fat garlic clove , crushed
1 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger (or fresh ginger paste in a jar)
200g frying beef , thinly sliced across the grain
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large carrot , cut into matchsticks
100g mangetout , halved lengthways
140g mushrooms , sliced
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
Chinese noodles , to serve

1. Mix together the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a shallow dish. Add the steak and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes (or longer, if you have time).
2. Heat a large heavy-based frying pan or wok, add the sesame seeds and toast over a high heat, stirring, for a few minutes until golden. Tip on to a plate.
3. When ready to cook, heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan or wok until hot. Add the steak with the marinade and stir fry for 3-4 minutes over a high heat until lightly browned. Remove, using a slotted spoon, on to a plate, leaving the juices in the pan.
4. Toss the carrots in the pan and stir fry for a few minutes, then add the mangetout and cook for a further 2 minutes.
5. Return the steak to the pan, add the mushrooms and toss everything together. Add the hoisin sauce and stir fry for a final minute. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Crispy beef & broccoli

This took mere minutes to make! If you are looking for a quick & simple dinner, this is it. I used pre-cooked rice, but next time I intend to use noodles. The original recipe here uses chilli, but I didnt think any of my children would enjoy that, so I left it out of my version. I think I might add some carrot & beanspouts next time too. If you dont have spring onions, normal onions wouldnt be too out of place in this dish.I also used less sugar than the original recipe.

• oil , for frying
• 300g minute or thin-cut sirloin steaks , sliced into thin strips and tossed with 3 tbsp cornflour
• tenderstem broccoli florets
• 2 garlic cloves , sliced
• A 5cm piece ginger , finely chopped
• ½ bunch spring onion , sliced on the diagonal
• 4 tbsp soy sauce mixed with 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tblsp lime juice
• Noodles or rice to serve

 Heat a 5cm depth of oil in a wok until very hot. Fry the steak in batches until dark and crisp. Drain. Pour off most of the oil and stir-fry the broccoli, garlic, ginger and spring onion for 1 minute. Tip in the sweetened soy sauce and lime juice and cook for 2 minutes. Toss in the beef and rice/noodles, heat through and serve.

Chickpea & ketchup curry

When putting together this weeks meal plan, I decided I would have another go at a curry. I went for 2 different kinds, one meat based & one vegetarian. The meat one is the same sauce that I made here but I added beef & mushrooms, and omitted the almond/cream & coconut. I made this the night before, froze half & left the rest to improve over night. The 2nd curry was from the River Cottage Veg Everyday cookbook, from the "store cupboard meals" section. I think most peopke would have the ingredients to hand, so perfect for a last minute meal. It also only took 25 minutes at most to put together! I added a dollop of yogurt to my beef curry as it was a bit spicy for me, but I have a week palatte for heat.

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2cm piece of ginger, finely grated
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 teaspoons curry powder or paste
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A handful of coriander, to finish 

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and sweat for around 8 minutes, until soft and golden, then stir in the ginger, chilli flakes, garlic and curry powder or paste. Fry, stirring, for 1–2 minutes more.
Add the chickpeas, tomato ketchup and enough water to just loosen to a thick sauce consistency. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve in warmed bowls scattered with coriander leaves.

Beef Paprikash

I wanted to try something new instead of the usual beef stew that I usually make. This turned out better than I expected, and not at all spicy. All the children enjoyed it, served with some lightly steamed carrots & broccolli.  I have saved some for my lunch tomorrow!

Ingredients

• 500g braising beef
• 1 tbsp flour , seasoned really well
• olive oil
• 1 large onion , halved and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 250g chestnut mushrooms , halved if large
• 1 red pepper , sliced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 300ml beef stock
• a small bunch parsley , chopped
• basmati rice , to serve
• soured cream , to serve 

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Toss the beef with the seasoned flour then brown all over in 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Scoop out, then add the onions and cook really well until soft and browned at the edges. Add the garlic, mushrooms and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Return the beef to the pan and add the spices, tomatoes and beef stock. Put on a lid and transfer to the oven and cook for 2-2.5 hours until beef is really tender and sauce thickened.
2. Stir in the parsley. Serve with rice and soured cream.

Muffin topped Beef Stew

This was perfect for a cold winters night! Lovely tender beef, vegetables and a lovely muffin topping. Sounds odd to have a muffin-lid, but it really works. It's also one of the dishes that you can make and then leave for hours to cook itself - which is perfect for me. My son has an afternoon nap, so I was able to prepare the stew while he slept, then left it for 3 hours on low in the oven until I added the topping. The stew is my own recipe, the topping is from the Good Food website.

Stew

2 sticks celery chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
2 medium onions chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
500g braising beef
2 tbsp plain flour
1 400g tin tomatoes
500 ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper


Soften the vegetables & bay leaves in the olive oil over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the beef & the flour & mix. Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, puree, worcestershire sauce, balsamic and season. Mix & bring to the boil. Cover & put into the oven at 180C for 3 hours.

Muffin topping

225g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
140g cheddar , coarsely grated
2 tbsp olive oil
150ml milk

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half the cheese. Mix olive oil and milk, then stir into the flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Add more milk, if necessary. Spoon the dough over the meat and vegetables, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 15 mins until golden, risen and cooked through.