Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
I have been craving Beef Stew all week. It's a winter thing I guess, and having just come through having had a bad cold I was really craving some sort of comfort food.
In the UK they make things called Hot Pots in the winter months. This is usually with lamb, but I have also seen them made with other meats such as pork or chicken. This is the ultimate in comfort food.
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
Meat and vegetables layered in an oven proof casserole dish with some stock, and then baked until everything is meltingly tender. Usually there is a thatch of sliced potatoes on top, but not always.
Today I decided to make myself a hot pot of sorts using some steak I found in my freezer, and why not! I was really pleased with how it turned out as well. This is sized for two to three people, but could certainly be made large enough to feed many more than that.
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
Its not a recipe as much as it is a technique. Meat it browned and then layered up with a variety of vegetables. A flavor filled stock is poured over top and then the whole thing is baked long and slow until everything melts in your mouth.
You can thicken the juices to make a delicious gravy if you wish.
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
Its all a matter of using what you have. I have even seen hot pots made with canned corned beef and baked beans. Using steak would be at the higher end of the scale!
Delicious, hearty and thrifty, that is the epitome of a classic hot pot, and in these days of having to pinch our pennies, thrifty counts more than ever!
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BEEF STEAK HOT POT
I simply used what meat and vegetables I had in my freezer and refrigerator. Using up what you already have is the name of the game! This is by no means a stringent list of ingredients!
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp oil
- 10 ounces (285g) top round or stewing steak cut into pieces
- 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, black pepper and summer savory (or thyme)
- 1/2 small white cabbage cut into wedges
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1/3 of a small turnip (rutabaga/swede) peeled and cut into thick half moons
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 small onions quartered
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS sweet pickle juice or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBS HP or other steak sauce
- 1 heaped TBS to thicken the gravy
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
I am not sure what kind of steak I had as I had not marked the package but bear in mind you don't want to use your most expensive cut. I would suggest a rump or round steak. Any kind of steak which is well suited to braising.
Likewise, your vegetables. Root vegetables braise very well, and I think they taste even better if braised until they melt in your mouth. But I could be alone in that way of thinking. I like to mash them up on my plate and dot them with butter.
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Cabbage is especially lovely when braised long and slow for a lengthy period of time. It becomes almost buttery, and it does indeed melt in the mouth.
I love rutabaga, carrots and parsnips. They work very well in a dish like this.
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I chose to flavor the stock with a few aromatics, tomato ketchup, HP sauce and some sweet pickle juice. If you don't have sweet pickle juice then you can use Worcestershire sauce, or even leave it out altogether. I happen to like it in any dish like this one.
You will also note that there is not a lot of seasoning in this dish. With aromatics such as the above you don't really need a lot of seasoning. Just make sure you sprinkle some of it on each layer.
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HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEAK HOT POT
Nothing could really be easier. Brown your meat and then layer up your veg and bake. You can thicken the juices at the end for a delicious gravy if you wish.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based oven proof casserole until the butter begins to foam. Add the pieces of steak and brown them well on both sides.
Mix together the herbs and seasonings in a small bowl.
Place the onion quarters around the browned steak in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with a bit of the seasoning.
Layer in the vegetables one at a time on top of the steak, sprinkling each layer with the seasoning mixture, and ending with the wedges of cabbage.
Whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, pickle juice, and HP sauce. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole tightly.
Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Remove from the oven. Using a slotted spoon remove the meat and vegetables from the juices to a platter. Set aside and keep warm. Whisk the flour into the remaining juices and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until the gravy thickens.
Serve portions of the meat along with the vegetables with some of that delicious gravy spooned over top.
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
This really was delicious. I always love something like boiled potatoes or mash with this type of a meal. Today it was boiled potatoes.
I boiled them in their skins just like my mother always did. Just pick some small to medium sized potatoes and wash them very well. Cover with lightly salted water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until fork tender.
Spear with a fork and peel. As I was peeling mine, I was thinking of my mother and watching her peel boiled potatoes for our supper. What a sweet memory for me that was.
.JPG "Beef Steak Hot Pot")
If you are a fan of long and slow cooking, you might also enjoy the following:
POT ROASTED PORK WITH CABBAGE AND CARROTS - This Pot Roasted Pork with Cabbage and carrots is one of my favorite meals to cook when the temperatures start dropping and the nights begin to draw in. A long slow braise results in succulent moist pork, tender roasted carrots, butter tender cabbage and a rich gravy that is to die for.
LANCASHIRE HOT POT - If you are a fan of Coronation Street you will be familiar with the pleasure of the Lancashire Hot Pot. This is as traditional as they get, with layers of lamb, onions and carrots, and a lovely thatch of buttery sliced potato on top.
Yield: 2-3
Beef Steak Hot Pot
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 20 M
Tender pieces of beef with plenty of vegetables cooked long and slow. You can make a delicious gravy with the pan juices. I like to serve this with boiled or mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp oil
- 10 ounces (285g) top round or stewing steak cut into pieces
- 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, black pepper and summer savory (or thyme)
- 1/2 small white cabbage cut into wedges
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1/3 of a small turnip (rutabaga/swede) peeled and cut into thick half moons
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 2 small onions quartered
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS sweet pickle juice or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 TBS HP or other steak sauce
- 1 heaped TBS to thicken the gravy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
- Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based oven proof casserole until the butter begins to foam. Add the pieces of steak and brown them well on both sides.
- Mix together the herbs and seasonings.
- Place the onion quarters around the steak in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with a bit of the seasoning.
- Layer in the vegetables one at a time on top of the steak, sprinkling each layer with the seasoning mixture, and ending with the wedges of cabbage.
- Whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, pickle juice, and HP sauce. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole tightly.
- Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- Remove from the oven. Using a slotted spoon remove the meat and vegetables from the juices to a platter. Set aside and keep warm.
- Whisk the flour into the remaining juices and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until the gravy thickens.
- Serve portions of the meat along with the vegetables with some of the gravy spooned over top.
The recipe I am sharing with you today proves that you can make a salad out of just about anything. I was very lucky the other day that my good friend Tina picked me up a head of iceberg lettuce and left it on my doorstep. You never know what you are going to miss until you can't get it. That is precisely when you are going to start craving it, and all last week I had a craving for lettuce and cabbage. Thankfully Tina was able to get me both!
I am quite lucky in that I have a fair amount of meat and fish in the freezer, mostly chicken of course, but I think I might have some pork chops in there somewhere, and maybe a piece of lamb. In any case I used some of the chicken to create this fabulous Almost Fried Chicken Salad!
You can use chicken tenders if that is all you have to use. I cut chicken breasts into strips, and then rolled them in some buttermilk and then a flavourful dry coating mixture, of flour, dry bread crumbs and a mis of herbs and spices.
These were baked in a hot oven on a oil sprayed baking sheet. I also sprayed them with a bit of oil. (Low fat canola oil cooking spray) I baked them until they were golden brown and crisp, turning them and spraying them again, halfway through the bake time.
The salad itself was a mix of what I had in the house . . . chopped boiled egg, chopped broccoli and cauliflower . . .
Chopped cucumber and radish. I cut my radishes in half with zig zag edges to provide visual interest . . .
I forgot to add tomatoes which I had, but feel free of course. I also added some chopped spring onion.
You can use any combination of vegetables you have that you might enjoy . . . cooked beetroot, cooked sweet potato, carrots, etc. All work very well.
I had actually made some sweet potato chips (crisps) the other day that I used as croutons on top, you could use normal croutons, or no croutons. Just what you have and what you fancy. There really is no right or wrong about this!
I added a grating of cheddar cheese to the top. You could use crumbled blue cheese or feta. Again, whatever it is that you fancy or that you have!
The dressing is a homemade kind of a Ranch/Garlic dressing. I used the rest of my sour cream in it, but you can also use plain yogurt if that is what you have, or even buttermilk if you happen to be so lucky to have it. Those three things are all tangy, rich and pretty much can be used in place of the other.
This really satisfied my craving for a wholesome and hearty salad! For Todd I added a baked potato.
He was happy, I was happy . . . it was a great meal and we made great use of just what we had that needed using. No waste here!
Almost Fried Chicken Chopped Salad
Yield: 4
Quit simply delicious. This fabuously tasty salad is designed to use what you have in the house.
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 30g dry bread crumbs (1/4 cup)
- 35g plain flour (1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 120ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
- Cooking spray oil
For the salad:
- 1/2 medium head of iceberg lettuce
- 3 cups of chopped vegetables (a variety)
- 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 60g of strong cheddar cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
For the dressing:
- 110g mayonnaise (1/2 cup)
- 60g sour cream (1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each dried basil and dried dill
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 60ml milk (1/4 cup)
Instructions:
How to cook Almost Fried Chicken Chopped Salad
- First make the dressing so that you can chill it in the refrigerator. Whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth. If you have no sour cream, you can use plain yogurt. Put in a glass jar, cover and chill until needed.
- To make the chicken, cut the chicken into 1/2 inch thick strips. Mix together the flour, bread crumbs, herbs and seasonings in a shallow bowl. Put the buttermilk in another bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and spray generously with oil spray.
- Coating the chicken strips, one at a time, roll first in the buttermilk and then in the flour mixture to coat. Lay on the baking sheet. When all have been coated and are on the baking sheet, spray with more spray oil.
- Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown. Carefully flip over and lightly spray again, and cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown all over and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven. Let cool, then cut into chunks.
- Have ready four pasta bowls. Cut the lettuce into chunks and divide between each bowl evenly. Top each with 1 chopped boiled egg, 1/4 of the chopped spring onion, and a portion of the chopped vegetables. (I used cauliflower, broccoli (stems and all), radish, cucumber) Top each with a portion of the chicken and then drizzle with a portion of the dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. Pass any remaining dressing at the table.
Has your cooking become rather inventive during the lockdown? What are some of the things you have been doing? I really want to know! They say this might go on for as long as twelves months. We will all be in need of some culinary inspiration by then I reckon! I said to Todd I want to go out for a slap bang meal at a good restaurant, no matter the cost!
If there is anything I like more than a roast on the first day, it is the wonderful things you can do with the leftovers. Be it chicken, turkey, beef, lamb or pork, I am a master at making the leftovers taste fresh and new and delicious! Nobody in my house has ever said, Leftovers? YUCK! In fact they have always loved them, and I say that not to brag, but as a fact.
This recipe I am sharing today is a simple and easy version of Roast Beef Hash, with the exception being that there is no frying involved. None at all.
Chopped onion, potato and beef are simply combined with some tinned evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning and parsley flakes, poured into a buttered dish, and topped with some buttered cracker crumbs prior to baking.
That is it in its very basic rendition . . . of course you can amp it up a bit with the addition of some garlic powder and herbs. I would suggest thyme and marjoram and maybe some rosemary. You won't need a lot, just a smidgen of each.
You could add a squirt of ketchup and mustard to the milk mixture as well if you like. Both work very well . . . or even a squirt of either BBQ sauce or HP sauce.
You could also add some mixed vegetables if you liked, about a cup of frozen mixed vegetables would be nice, but I wouldn't do any more to it than that. Really, in all truth, it is very delicious even in it's most basic form!
The quantities are for two people, which is a very generous amount. You can easily double it to serve more if you want. Just make sure you have the same amount of potato as beef, and then half again as much of onion. You can precook the onion if you want, but its really not necessary.
I had plenty of leftover veg from Sunday and so I warmed them up and served them on the side and the casserole would easily have served at least three people generously.
We had mashed Swede (rutabaga/turnips) and a mix of peas, corn and carrots, all leftover as well. When I do my Swede, I simply boil it until tender in lightly salted water, drain well and then mash well with a potato masher, stirring in a small knob of butter and a touch of brown sugar, salt and pepper. The Brown sugar really enhances the natural sweetness of the Swede. Trust me on this.
I like to season my carrots with a pinch of sugar and some freshly grated nutmeg. There is something about nutmeg that goes very well with carrots and I know you will love it. I usually don't add any butter, but you can if you want, and some salt and pepper also.
Yield: 2
Oven Hash
prep time: 15 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 45 mins
A delicious casserole for two to make with the leftovers from your Sunday Roast!
ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped roast beef
1 cup finely chopped cooked potato
150g evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
a handful of crushed rich round crackers
1 TBS butter, melted
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Combine the beef, potato,
milk, onion, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Turn into a
buttered 1 litre/1 QT casserole dish. Toss the cracker crumbs with the
melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake in the preheated oven for half
an hour, until heated through, bubbling and golden brown.
milk, onion, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Turn into a
buttered 1 litre/1 QT casserole dish. Toss the cracker crumbs with the
melted butter and sprinkle on top. Bake in the preheated oven for half
an hour, until heated through, bubbling and golden brown.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Todd enjoyed his with some warmed up leftover gravy and mash on the side. Me, I enjoyed mine with a splash of tomato sauce. Yes, I am one of those North Americans who enjoys her ketchup! And we still have some roast beef leftover, which I have even more plans for. Watch this space and Bon Appetit!
I have to say we are really enjoying our new Space Grill. It could not have come at a better time, with all of this lovely dry and sunny warm weather we have been enjoying. Its been a real pleasure to actually have a reliable and easy to use grill so that I can do all of our cooking out of doors, without having to heat up the stove or the whole house in the process!
The other day I was able to cook our whole dinner on this new Grill, with the exception of the initial boiling of the potatoes for my roadkill potatoes. I think this Grill is absolutely amazing. I have never been able to do that before. Cook my whole meal on the grill. Its like having an outdoor stove. It really is very user friendly, and so simple to crack open and cook on.
I was able to cook the steaks which I had been marinating in my killer marinade for a couple of hours on the grill grate side . . .
While on the cast iron grill plate I was grilling thickly sliced onions, my potatoes and fresh asparagus.
It was all so very easy. The higher heat seems to be concentrated in the centre of the grilling areas. I started off heating the grill on high, and then when it came time to cook I reduced the temperature to medium beneath the steaks so that everything was roughly finished in the same time.
As the potatoes were precooked, they really only needed crisping up on the outsides and preheating. The asparagus and the onions were raw, but in the time it took to crisp up the potatoes, they were finished. Once I had the steaks done, I moved them to the outer edges of the grill so they could kind of rest while I was finishing off the vegetables.
These were Rib Eye steaks, about 3/4 inch thick, and for medium rare it took an initial searing on one side for 4 - 5 minutes and then 3 - 5 minutes on the other side. They were perfect for us. If you like them more well done, cook them for a bit longer, or less done, cook them for a bit shorter times.
The asparagus took about 14 minutes, with frequent turning, as did the onions and the potatoes. To prep the onions and asparagus, I simply brushed them with a bit of light olive oil and seasoning them slightly with salt and black pepper. The onions were lovely and tender and the asparagus was crispy tender.
Asparagus done this way is quite simply beautiful to eat. I should do it this way all the time! (and I just might!)
The potatoes were a grill take on a potato recipe that I initially shared with my readers many moons ago on my Oak Cottage Blog for Dressed Road Kill Potatoes. (Back in 2011) And as Road Kill Potatoes long before that on my AOL Journal, so as you can see it is a very, very old recipe. My friend Pat had cooked them the other day and told me how much she and her family still enjoyed them, even after all these years. I realised I had never presented them on this blog, and I looked at our new grill and thought to myself, why not give them a go on that! They worked out beautifully. We were ever so pleased!
*Perfect Steak Marinade*
Makes enough for 4 - 6 servings
A
delicious blend of flavours perfect for marinating beef steaks, pork
chops and lamb. I poke the meat all over with a fork before marinating
so that the flavours really get into the meat.
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 TBS Soy sauce
4 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
4 TBS good quality Balsamic vinegar
4 TBS light olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
These potatoes are ever so tasty. They are simply boiled potatoes, in the skins, cooled and then smashed down lightly with a flat potato masher . . . brushed with oil, seasoned and grilled on both sides until crisp and golden. A bit of cheese is melted on the top at the end and a sprinkle of minced spring onion finishes them off!
*Grilled Road Kill Potatoes*
To serve two, but easily adaptable for more
To serve two, but easily adaptable for more
The regular version of these (done in the oven) is a real favourite of everyone who has them. I decided to adapt the recipe so that I could do it on our BBQ grill (with excellent results!) You will need a cast iron grill pan for use on the BBQ or a grill plate.
2 medium potatoes per person
garlic granules, sweet paprika, mixed herbs, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
olive oil for drizzling
225g of strong grated cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
4 spring onions, chopped fine
Put
the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until just barely tender when pierced with
the tip of a knife. Drain well and set aside to cool completely.
Drizzle
a bit of oil on a baking tray, sprinkle with some of the garlic
granules, paprika, mixed herbs, sea salt and black pepper.
Take
each cooled potato and smash it down onto the tray (hence the road
kill) with a potato masher, without totally obliterating them, but
leaving them merely with a flattened, nicely roughed up texture.
Sprinkle more of the spices and herbs over top to taste. Drizzle them with a bit more oil.
Heat
your BBQ grill/grill plate to high. Transfer the potatoes to the grill
plate with a spatula. Reduce the heat to medium. Grill for about 15
minutes, then flip them over and grill for a further 10 minutes or so at
which time they should be nicely browned with lovely crunchy bits.
Remove from the grill, scatter cheese over top along with the spring
onions. The heat from the potatoes should melt the cheese. If it
doesn't, place a large bowl over top to cover and leave for a few
minutes. Scatter over the spring onions and serve immediately.
So there you have it. A complete meal cooked on the grill that is exciting and delicious! We both loved this very much!
The Grill/BBQ we are using is the Space Grill 1800 3-Burner Gas Grill. This stainless steel Space Grill is a revolutionary idea for modern families with a unique
fold-away design which is perfect for garden patio grilling or even the
high rise balcony. It fits in perfectly every where, and is as truly
versatile as it is beautiful! You can either mount it on an existing
load bearing wall, or you can buy a specifically designed stand to mount
it on. Either way it is easy to use. Once installed, it folds down and is ready to use in about 10 seconds. (I kid you not!) After you are finished and it is cooled down and cleaned, you simply fold it back into place, cover it and that is that. We are ever so pleased with it! If you would like to know more about
it, or perhaps even to purchase one for your own use, do check out the Space Grill Site.
I wonder what I will cook up on it next??? Watch this space!
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