Bolognese sauce (ragu)

 Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 rashers streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces, or 1 pack of cubed pancetta/bacon lardons
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
500g/1lb minced beef
1 carrot, finely diced
1 tbsp tomato purée
100ml/ 1/4pt milk
1/4 nutmeg grated (use fresh, it's much nicer)
1 glass red wine (there won't be any alcohol left after cooking)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 oxo cube
Water
Salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan, add the onions and celery and gently fry until they are soft, add in the bacon and fry for about 3 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the garlic and minced beef, break up the mince as you fry it, it should start to crumble, fry until none of the mince is pink. Add in the carrot, tomato purée, nutmeg and milk, bubble until the milk has vanished. Now add the wine, again bubble until it has vanished. Sprinkle over the oxo cube add the tinned tomatoes and enough water to just cover the ingredients, season. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a very low simmer so that the odd bubble breaks the surface, cook for a good hour, stirring occasionally. At this stage you could pop this in a slow cooker and leave on low all day to cook.

Check seasoning and then serve.

Read More

Coq au Vin

I love reading cookery books, but sometimes I just cook from the heart. Today was one of those days, my daughter wanted coq-au-vin, I decided to just go with the flow, so here's my recipe.

Ingredients
1 onion sliced
2 whole garlic cloves
1 tbsp butter
1 pack of smoked bacon lardons
chicken portions
1 large tomato chopped
1 bouquet garni
1 bottle of red wine
1 chicken stock cube
salt and pepper
Butter
Button mushrooms
Baby onions (if you have some)

Method
Start by gently frying the onion in the butter, (I had some bacon fat left from cooking carbonara for lunch). Add to 2 whole garlic cloves, continue frying.
Add the pack of bacon lardons, continue to fry. Add the chicken and brown. Pop in the tomato then the entire bottle of wine (I know it seems a lot, but it really is worth it). Crumble over the chicken stock cube, season.
Make the bouquet garni and add, I used a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, some parsley stalks, a bay leaf and half a stick of celery with it's leaves. I tied it together with some string and popped it in the pot.
Simmer until the chicken is tender, this is about 1 1/2 hours.
Heat some butter and then in small batches fry the mushrooms until golden adding them to the casserole, do the same with the onions if you are using. Stir thoroughly and leave with a lid on until you need to reheat for lunch/dinner.

If you have some fresh parsley, chop and garnish the finished casserole.

Read More

Ox-cheek in red wine

Well I love the Ox-cheek with mushroom ragout recipe is use, but suffering from a cold, feeling rough, and realising that I didn't have any mushrooms, I thought it was time for a change.

Ingredients
2 ox-cheeks cut into 1 inch cubes
2 onions cut into large chunks
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 sticks celery cut into large chunks
2 carrots chopped into large chunks
plain flour
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 pint red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 pint beef stock
olive oil

Method
Preheat oven gas 3.
Fry off the onions, garlic, celery and carrots until the onions have slightly coloured, add to a large casserole dish. Toss ox-cheek in seasoned flour and brown on all sides in batches, adding to the casserole. Once all the meat is browned add the red wine to pan to bubble off the juices that are on the bottom of the pan, add the tomato puree and stir together. Add the stock, bring all the to boil and pour over the meat and veg. Put a bay leaf in and cover. Put in the oven and leave to cook for about 3 hours until tender.

Read More

Ox cheek and kidney pie

Wow, I love steak and kidney pie, but have just made ox cheek and kidney pie. It's really amazing, so much nicer and so moreish.

You will need to cook the ox cheek and kidney very slowly in the oven for about 2.5 - 3 hours.

Ingredients
1 onion - sliced
2 ox cheeks (1lb roughly)
8 oz beef kidney (we do love kidney, so drop this if you prefer)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 oz butter
3 oz plain flour
salt & pepper
1 glass red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/4pt beef stock
couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
Puff pastry (ready rolled is a great timesaver)

Method

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 3 - 170C/325F.
2. Put the oil and 1oz of butter in a frying pan and saute the onions until they are golden.
3. Slice the ox cheek into 1 inch cubes. You will need a sharp knife due to the connective tissue, but don't worry, it helps give flavour and tenderises as it cooks.
4. Put the flour in a bowl or plastic bag, season with salt and pepper, then toss the ox cheek in the flour.
5. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and place in the bottom of a casserole dish.
6. Add some more butter to the pan and brown the pieces of meat. Make sure you don't add too many at a time as you want them to go slightly crusty. When browned remove with a slotted spoon and pop on top of the onions.
7. Cut the kidney into 1 inch cubes, remove any core as you go. Toss in the flour after you have finished browning the meat.
8. Add more butter if required. Brown the kidney in the pan. Remove with slotted spoon and add to the casserole.
9. Pour the wine into the frying pan and let the meat juices bubble off the bottom of the pan stirring constantly.
10. Add the tomato puree and stir. Add the stock and worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil and pour over the casserole.
11. Add the bay leaves and stir everything together.
12. Cover with a lid or foil and pop in the oven.
13. After 1.5 hours, remove from oven and stir carefully. Return to oven until the ox cheek is tender.
14. When the casserole is cooked, remove from oven.
15. Turn up oven to gas mark 7, 220C/425F
16. Take pastry out of fridge, cut as many squares as you need for lids, lay on a baking tray, carefully using a sharp knife, score the top of the pastry sheets so that you make a diamond pattern. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
17. Serve large spoonfuls of the ox cheek and kidney, top with pastry lid and serve with boiled potatoes, the most wonderful fresh purple sprouting broccoli.

Read More