Beef Bourguinon and Nutmeg Mash

These are recipes from the ever enthusiastic Rachel Allen's book Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends. She's not someone whose books I would use very often but when I do the recipes do seem to turn out well. Also my camera ran out of charge so I only have pics from after instead of before ones too but I'm sure you'll get the idea.

Beef Bourguinon is a classic French casserole and this is a relatively simplified version but gorgeous all the same. This ammount of ingredients here is for 6 people but you could easily half it and make less but this is the type of dish that will be nicer the next day and if I don't have to cook one evening during the week then I won't be complaining!!!!

So here's what you need

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 200g streaky bacon cut into cubes
• 18 baby onions/shallots
• 1.5kg/3 1/4lbs stewing beef cut into cubes
• pepper
• 40/1 1/2oz flour
• 400ml/14 fl oz red wine
• 4 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 stalks parsley
• small piece of orange zest
• 450ml/3/4 pint beef or chicken stock
• 18 small button mushrooms (which I didn't use as I don't like mushrooms so I added 2 parsnips cubed about 20 mins from the end of the cooking)

Preheat the oven to 160/ gas 3. In a large pan heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and brown the bacon. Remove and set aside, leaving any fat in the pan. Add the onions and stir on a high heat until golden. Remove and leave with the bacon. Add the beef to the pan in batches and cook until brown. Season with pepper and put back into the pan and scatter in the flour, stirring all the time. Pour in the wine and the garlic.

Stir again and add the bay leaf, thyme and parsley (I had this tied together in a bouquet garni as it's easier take them out later on). Add the bacon and onions and enough stock to come 3/4 up the sides of the pan. Bring to the boil and put the lid on and place in a preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours until almost tender. Add the mushrooms if you're using them and cook for another 30-40 mins or until the beef is tender. Remove the orange zest and serve with the Nutmeg Mash below.

So here's what you'll need for the mash

• 1 kg/2 1/4 lbs floury potatoes
• 50g/2 oz butter
• 200mk/7 fl oz boiling milk
• 1/2 grated/ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Clean the potatoes and put them in a large pot and boil them until cooked. You can test them with a knife or a skewer. Peel the potatoes while they're still hot and mash them. Add the butter but not the milk until the mash is smooth. Add the milk, you can add about half and then add more as needed, I like my mash very soft and silky but people like it different ways so whatever you like yourself. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and serve.


I wasn't mad about the mash to be honest, the barely there nutmeg flavour just didn't do it for me but my mam and husband were here and they loved it. So I think next time I'd do it with Garlic Potatoes as suggested in the book.

Nothing so simple as stew

When it's cold outside there's nothing I like more than some stew (or soup but that's another days posting) so being brass monkeys as the husbag would call it I decided it was a day for some beef stew. I also have an excuse to use my new Le Creuset pot!!!

You need:

• 1lb round steak cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large onion -I like to use red but use whatever you like personally
• 1/2 a butternut squash - use whatever winter veg you fancy this is just what I had today
• 1 litre stock
• couple of tablespoons of plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper
  
• herbs - I used oregano and basil as I like Italian flavours but you could use mixed herbs or a couple of different ones
• Olive oil

I've also made some dumplings just to show off in my first post :) and popped them on top of the stew with about 30 mins to go and you them you'll need:

• 125g flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 15ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp oregano (I've used dried)
• 2 tbsp basil, dried again
• 125ml milk
  

So enough rambling here's the jist of it:

• Heat some olive oil in a pot, I have 2 teaspoons cos I'm dieting and know the value of this
• Toss the cubed steak in the seasoned flour and brush off the excess flour.
• Put the steak into the pot and brown in batches, it's easier to make sure none of it gets too brown if you put in smaller ammounts
• When all the steak is browned put it to the side and add some more olive oil to the pan, pop in your onions and saute for a few mins until softened, add your carrots and other veg and cook for another 5 mins
• Put the steak back into the pan and add your stock and herbs, salt and pepper and put the lid on.
  

I cook my stews in the oven but you can cook it on the hob in the same way just keep it at a gentle simmer and stir every so often. Give it about 25 mins then pop in your dumplings.

I make these in a food processor, throwing in everything together. Knead the dough for a couple of mins and then shape into balls about the size of a walnut maybe. These are done when they've risen and browned slightly on top mmmmmmmmmm

Once you've checked everything is cooked to your liking, serve.

Now that this is written this looks more technical than it actually us, really just throw everything into a pot and cook until you're happy with it :)