Mash the potatoes and parsnips well, adding the cream and the butter.   Beat well and add the remaining cinnamon and cayenne pepper.  Season to taste with salt.   They should be smooth and fluffy.  Spoon into a heated serving bowl and top with the fried spiced onions.   Serve hot.

 


They had rolled Beef Brisket on offer at the shops the other day so I picked up a small one to cook at the weekend.  We don't do read meat very often actually . . . and I really do like brisket.   It's one of our favourites. 



It's not a beef roast you can cook in the traditional way, by dry roasting however.  Brisket is a cut which comes from the lower chest of the animal, where you would find the "pecs" of the steer, and since they don't have collar bones, they help to support at least 60% of the weight of the animal.   The brisket needs specialized cooking.



Properly cooked however always results in one of the tastiest cuts of beef.  It needs slow braising, either on top of the stove, in the slow cooker or in the oven.  All of that connective tissue turns gelatinous during the long cooking time, resulting in a very succulent piece of meat. 



In short . . . they make great pot roasts!   This is one of my favourit ways to cook it . . . Boeuf Aux Carottes . . . or Braised Beef Brisket with Carrots.  Browned on top of the stove and then oven braised with onions, bacon lardons, carrots, bay leaf and other aromatics . . . white wine . . . 




The end result being a deliciously tender roast, with a fabulous au jus and wonderfully flavoured carrots that you could almost mash into the juices for an extra tasty gravy . . . 



I like to serve it simply sliced, with some of the carrots along side and some other veg, and with some of the juices spooned over top.   Simple but . . . most delicious.


    


*Boeuf aux Carottes*
(Braised Beef Brisket with Carrots)
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely meal that requires very little effort. You end up with meltingly tender beef with a rich broth, sweet and buttery in flavour from the carrots. I served it with a celeriac/potato mash and some lightly steamed haricots verts. (green beans)

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1.5 kg of rolled beef brisket (about 3 pounds)
1.5 kg of carrots, peeled and trimmed (about 3 pounds)
150g bacon lardoons (about 1/2 cup)
1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 fresh bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 small leafy celery stalk
500ml dry white wine, or unsweetened apple juice (2 cups)
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat 1 TBS of the olive oil in a large roaster on top of the stove. (Use one with a fitted lid) Add the brisket and brown it slowly on all sides. Once browned, remove it to a plate, salt it generously and then set it aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the roaster and add the carrots, 1 tsp of salt and cook, stirring them occasionally, until they are browned. This will take from 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Put the lardoons and onions into the roaster and then cook them over high heat until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme, celery, beef and carrots. Pour in the wine or juice, and add water almost to cover. Bring to the boil. Skim off any foam that may surface, then top with the lid and roast in a pre-heated oven at 150*C/300*F. Roast for 3 hours, turning the meat over at least once during the cooking time.

Remove from the oven and take the meat out of the liquid. Let rest for about 15 minutes before cutting in thin slices to serve, accompanied with the carrots and lovely juices spooned over top. Delicious!

Increase the oven heat to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 8.  Whisk the flour, bicarbonate and salt together in a bowl, along with the herbs.  Make a well in the centre.   Pour in the buttermilk a bit at a time, stirring to combine completely.  Drop by tablespoons on top of the hot chicken mixture.  Scatter the cheese over top.  Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, uncovered.  Reduce the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6 and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the topping is crisp and golden and the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.   Serve hot.

I picked up a cauliflower earlier this week with a particular recipe in mind, but ended up not making it, and so today I found myself with a cauliflower that I needed to use post haste.  I spent quite a while perusing Pinterest looking for something interesting to make with it to no avail.



I have made cauliflower cheese soup in the past and it was pretty tasty.   I wanted to make a soup, but I didn't want to make the same old same old.



And then I started to think about how people who are low carbing interchange potatoes and cauliflower a lot with each other, although . . . to be perfectly honest I don't see where the similarities are as both taste completely different from each other.  But to each their own . . .



And that's when I had the brilliant idea to make a cauliflower chowder!  Boy oh boy, talk about being inspired!  This ended up being the most delicious pot of soup I have ever made!  I kid you not!  Adding some Black Pepper Boursin Cheese was genius, pure genius.  It worked beautifully!



I wish that I had taste and smell options on this blog because you would be literally blown away by this soup.  It's rich, and so . . . SO . . . SOOOOO . . . delicious!!  I can't say that enough.  I think I have found a new favourite.  It's not that easy to make soup look interesting, but . . . meh, I tried.



Todd had his with bread, which is so British.  I had mine with crackers, which is so North American.  OF course I crumbled my crackers over top of my soup, which my ex boss would have said was "common."   But then again . . . I am a simple girl.  No pretence here.

 

As you all know I had a lovely visit to the Yeo Valley Farms a few weeks ago which the Toddster and I both thoroughly enjoyed.  There is something really special about going to see where your food comes from, and it's even more special when you are able to see the extra care and attention some producers put into what they produce.  

It's turned back to cold windy and wet again today. Please don't tell me that the brief respite we had last week was Indian summer, coz I just don't wanna know!



This is the perfect day for staying indoors where it is wet and dry . . . and warm.



The perfect day for feasting on comfort food.



Food like this delicious chicken stew, baked in the oven . . . in one tasty pot.



All you need on the side is a nice pot of buttery mashed potatoes and a nice pile of lightly herbed green beans.



*Savoury Chicken Hot Pot*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Chicken and autumn vegetables simmered together in one deliciously hearty pot!

1 TBS olive oil
plain flour, salt and pepper
1 kg of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each one cut into four chunks
1 pound of butternut squash (Peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks)
4 leeks, washed trimmed and thickly sliced
hot chicken stock
two small handfuls of pearl barley
2 small bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp savoury crumbled

Heat the olive oil in a large stove top/oven proof casserole dish over medium heat. Toss the chicken bits with the flour and seasoning to taste. Brown them all over in the hot oil. Add the butternut squash and leeks. Cook and stir until the leeks begin to soften. Add hot chicken stock to barely cover and the pearl barley. Add the seasonings. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook for several hours in a moderate oven, (180*C/350*F/ gas mark4) until the chicken, vegetables and barley are tender and the liquid has deliciously thickened. (About an hour and a half.) Remove the bayleaves and serve hot spooned out onto heated plates along with some buttery mashed potatoes and a green vegetable on the side.

I have been suffering with a severe case of gastroenteritis since Friday last and today is the first day I am feeling even half back to normal.  I don't think I've ever felt so sick in my life.   It began on Friday afternoon and rapidly went downhill from there.   I can't even begin to tell you how bad it was . . . but when I don't want to cook or eat . . . you know something is terribly wrong.



Today is the first day that I have gotten dressed or out of bed.  The poor Toddster had to cook his own chops the other night . . . he didn't seem to mind overly much and has been a real sweetie pie bending himself over backwards running back and forth to the shops fetching me Lucozade, Orange Juice, Gingerale, etc.  What can I say . . . the man's in love.  ☺



I was beginning to feel rather peckish today though . . . having only eaten one piece of toast and a small pot of yoghurt since Friday . . . I thought I better have something to eat, although I do admit to having been a little afraid to eat anything, you know how it goes . . . but the more I thought about my comfort foods, the more I wanted to make myself some. 





Comfort foods.  They aren't the same for everyone are they.  To one person it might be eggs on toast, to another beans on toast.  To me . . . comfort food is Macaroni with Tomatoes and Cheese, which is pretty much exactly what the title says . . .



Macaroni, cooked . . . and mixed with a big nob of butter, a tin of chopped plum tomatoes, some minced onion, seasoning and cubed cheddar cheese, sprinkled with some buttered cracker crumbs and then baked . . .



Until the cheese is a molten mass of ooze, slightly tinged with the flavour of tomatoes . . . I like my onion raw in it, because I am rather fond of the sharpness of it.  It goes rather well with the cheese . . . some people would like meat in theirs, but I just like it the way it is.   I had a small bowl of this for my lunch today . . . and I confess . . .  I will probably have another bowl of it for tea.




Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5.   Butter a casserole dish and set aside.

Cook the macaroni until al dente according to the package directions.  Drain and return to the pot.  Stir in the knob of butter, along with the tomatoes, onions and cheese.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.   Stir in half of the crushed crackers and then pour the whole mixture into the casserole dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining crackers.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and the cheese is nicely melted and the crackers are golden.  Serve hot or warm.

Note - When I was a child my mom would have used velveeta, and by all means use this if you wish.  I can't get velveeta over here so I just use strong cheddar because I love it's flavour.



Comfort is different things to different people however . . . and I'm afraid Todd doesn't find much comfort in macaroni with tomatoes.   Macaroni pudding is a different story however.   A week or so ago we got to talking about old school dinners.




Todd actually loved school dinners when he was a boy at school all those years ago.  In fact, that was the only hot dinner he had most days, and he would have a simple supper of bread and jam or whatever when he got home from school, his mother relying on the school to have provided him with a sturdy and nutritious dinner.



One of the things he did love most about his school dinners was the pudding . . . it was his favourite part.  Junket, or Spotted Dick . . . perhaps an Eve's Pudding, or Rice Pudding . . . usually something stodgy and . . . yes . . . comforting.



He told me about a Macaroni Pudding they often had and that he remembered fondly.  Now for a man that hates pasta, this got my attention and I went on a search.  This is what I found.  It's quite similar to a rice pudding, except it uses macaroni.



It must have been good, because . . . the Toddster ate two bowl's full without blinking an eye.  Comfort . . . it means different things to different people aye?



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5.  Butter a shallow casserole dish.  Set aside.  

Cook the macaroni until soft, according to the package directions.   Drain well and rinse.  Drain again.   Heat the milk over medium heat along with the butter and sugar.  Once the butter has melted remove from the heat.  Whisk a portion of the hot mixture slowly into the beaten eggs to temper, then whisk the eggs back into the warm milk.   Add the cooked macaroni, raisins, lemon zest and vanilla.   Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Pour into the buttered casserole dish.  Dust the top with grated nutmeg and then bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until set and golden brown on top.   Serve warm. 

I do apologize to anyone who is waiting on specific posts from me.  I will be on to them as soon as my tummy and time allows!  Sorry for the brief hiccup!