Roast Leg Of Lamb With Basil & Mint Pesto

Roast Leg Of Lamb With Basil & Mint Pesto

Score the skin of your lamb and marinate with a herby, garlicky pesto for an extra special Sunday roast.

Ingredients:

2kg lamb leg, skin scored (see tip)

fresh garden herbs, to serve (optional)

sliced lemon, to serve (optional)

For the pesto

1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped

small pack basil, leaves only

small pack mint, leaves only

25g pine nuts

25g grated Parmesan

125ml extra virgin olive oil

juice ½ lemon

Method:

1.      First, make the pesto. Put all the ingredients (except the olive oil and lemon juice) and a pinch of salt into the small bowl of a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped. While the processor is on, drizzle the olive oil in to make a paste. Tip the pesto into a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice.

2.      Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the scored lamb leg in a large roasting tin and use half the pesto to generously coat the skin and flesh, pressing it between all the cracks for extra juiciness. Put the rest of the pesto in the fridge, covered with cling film, and remove just before serving.

3.      Roast the lamb for 1 hr 45 mins. Check during cooking that it’s not drying out – if the base of the roasting tin starts to look dry, spread a little more pesto over the top of the lamb.

4.      Remove the lamb from the tin, cover with foil and leave to rest for 30-40 mins before serving on lemon slices and fresh garden herbs, if you like. Carve at the table and serve with the remaining pesto to drizzle over.

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Highland Beef With Pickled Walnuts & Puff Pastry Tops

Highland Beef With Pickled Walnuts & Puff Pastry Tops

A rich beef stew that gets better the longer it's kept. The pickled walnuts add a tangy touch. Make up to three days ahead.

Ingredients:

For the pastry puffs

375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

For the stew

1½ kg stewing beef, cut into 5cm/2in pieces, excess fat removed

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 bay leaf

2 x 440ml cans of dark stout such as Scottish Oatmeal Stout or Guinness

85g butter

3 tbsp olive oil

100g smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped

3 large Spanish onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp plain flour

350ml port

390g jar pickled walnuts, halved (reserve 2 tbsp pickling vinegar)

3 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus extra to serve

Method:

1.      Up to three days before, make the pastry puffs. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/ gas 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry a little thinner and stamp out sixteen 6cm rounds. Put the rounds on a baking sheet and brush with the egg. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

2.      Make the stew. Put the beef, garlic and bay leaf in a large non-metallic bowl and pour in the stout. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

3.      Preheat the oven to fan 130C/ conventional 150C/gas 2. Drain the meat and pat dry on kitchen paper. Set aside the marinade liquid.

4.      Heat both half the butter and oil in a large lidded ovenproof casserole. Over a high heat, brown the beef in batches until each piece is sealed and dark brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon as you go. Set aside.

5.      Wipe the dish with kitchen paper, melt the remaining butter and oil and fry the bacon and onions for 10-15 minutes until the onions are golden brown, very soft and well reduced.

6.      Stir in the flour until blended, add the port and reserved marinade and return the beef to the dish. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 2½ -3 hours or until the meat is very tender (no need to season). Cool, put in a large sealed container and store in the fridge, or freeze for up to 1 month.

7.      To serve, return to the casserole and bring slowly to the boil (if frozen, defrost and continue as above). Add pickled walnuts and reserved pickling vinegar and simmer for 30 minutes until hot. Stir through the parsley. Re-heat the pastries at fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6 for 3-4 minutes. To serve, ladle into bowls, top with a couple of pastry puffs and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.

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Salt Beef Club With Cajun Fries

Salt Beef Club With Cajun Fries

An indulgent solo supper of a layered sandwich with sliced beef, creamy dressing and homemade chips.

Ingredients:

1 big potato, cut into thin chips

2 tsp olive oil

½ tsp Cajun seasoning

1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp chopped chive

1 tsp Dijon mustard

3 slices white or brown bread, lightly toasted

2 radishes, thinly sliced

1 baby or ½ avocado, sliced

2 slices salt beef

couple Little Gem lettuce leaves

Method:

1.      Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the chips on a non-stick baking tray, toss with oil and Cajun seasoning, then spread out in a single layer. Pop in the oven and bake, turning once, for 20-25 mins or until golden and crisp. Season.

2.      Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise, chives and mustard in a small bowl and season. Spread the mix onto 2 of the slices of bread. Layer 1 spread slice with radishes and avocado. Place the other slice, spread-side up, on top and add the salt beef and lettuce. Top with the final slice.

3.      Cut up and secure with cocktail sticks if you like, then serve alongside the fries.

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Yukgaejang

Yukgaejang

Yukgaejang is a spicy, soup-like Korean dish made from shredded beef with scallions and other ingredients, which are simmered together for a long time. It is a variety of gomguk, or thick soup, which was formerly served in Korean royal court cuisine. It is believed to be healthful and is popular due to its hot and spicy nature.

Ingredients:

Beef brisket

onion

water

green onions

bean sprouts

soaked fernbrake (kosari)

celery

garlic

hot pepper flakes

sesame oil

vegetable oil

salt

soy sauce

black pepper

Method:

1.      In a big pot, add 1lb beef brisket, 11-12 cups of water, and half an onion. Boil it for 1 hour over high heat.

2.      While it boils, cut 12 green onions, 1 stalk of celery, and 1-2 cups of fernbrake into pieces about 7 cm in length. Mince 7 cloves of garlic. Put them all into a big bowl with 5 cups of bean sprouts.

3.      Put 3 tbs hot pepper flakes, 1 tbs of sesame oil, 1 tbs of vegetable oil, 1 tbs soy sauce, 5 ts of salt, and some ground black pepper into a small bowl and mix it. This is your hotpepper oil sauce.

4.      Put the hotpepper oil sauce on top of the vegetables and mix them all up.

5.      When the beef is well cooked, take it out and set it aside to cool down.

6.      Add the mixture of vegetables and hot pepper oil sauce into the boiling beef stock. Boil it for 20 minutes.

7.      Slice the beef thinly and add it into the boiling soup. Cook it about 5  minutes more.

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Beef Curry With Pumpkin

Beef Curry With Pumpkin

Thai curries are usually creamier and sweeter and hence pumpkin is great as an ingredient. This recipe is made with beef, but you can always use chicken or seafood, and it will work equally well. I personally love the addition of pumpkin into red curry, as the end result is so much more interesting than a regular and plain curry. As the cooking process breaks down the pumpkin pieces, every scoop of this curry is laced with pieces of sweet pumpkin, which goes extremely well with the fragrant steamed jasmine rice.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pack (1.76 ounce/50g) red curry paste (see picture below)

4 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups (350ml) coconut milk

1 pound beef, sliced thinly

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprika powder

6 kaffir lime leaves

1 1/2 cups cubed pumpkin or Kabocha pumpkin

Method:

1.      In a small bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, red curry paste and 4 tablespoons coconut milk. Stir-fry the red curry paste mixture in a wok over medium heat until fragrant.

2.      Add the beef and give a quick toss. Let it cook for about 1 minute and then add in the 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, paprika powder and kaffir leaves. Stir to mix.

3.      Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the pumpkin and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Serve with rice.

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Turnover with spiced minced meat and cabbage

Turnover with spiced minced meat and cabbage (murtabak)

A variation of roti canai, these savoury breads are filled with a spiced lamb mixture. The special ingredient, Malaysian meat curry powder, contains a variety of spices including cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and coriander, and is available from Asian food shops. I try cooking before share resepi

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil, plus extra, to fry

400 g minced lamb or chicken

2 onions, halved, thinly sliced

300 g (3 cups) green cabbage, shredded

2 tsp freshly grated turmeric

1 tbsp Malaysian meat curry powder (see Note)

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1–2 red bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander

4 eggs

4 balls roti canai dough

Method:

1.      Heat ghee in a wok over high heat. Cook lamb and onions, breaking up mince with a spoon, for 3 minutes or until lamb is browned. Add cabbage, spices, ginger and chillies, and cook for 5 minutes or until cabbage starts to wilt. Remove from heat, stir in coriander and season with salt.

2.      Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Crack 1 egg in a bowl, break up slightly and add one-quarter of the lamb mixture; don’t combine. Place into the centre of a stretched ball of roti, then fold edges of dough into centre to resemble an envelope. Carefully slide a fish slice underneath murtabak and transfer to pan. Cook, gently pressing murtabak, over low heat for 5 minutes each side or until browned and cooked through. Repeat with remaining eggs, lamb mixture and dough.

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Beef and Vegetable Stew

Beef and Vegetable Stew

It's one of the best sources of high quality protein, beef is also rich in B-vitamins, zinc, selenium and phosphorous.This stew is both attractive and delightfully tasty especially when served with some boiled basmati rice! For a balanced proportion of nutrients, fill almost half of it with the veggies, 1/4 of it with beef and the rest with rice!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

750 g lean beef, cut into cubes

3 medium onions, cut into cubes

1½ tablespoons plain flour

6 cups water or 1500 ml

1 cinnamon stick

1 large tomato, diced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 green bell pepper, or red bell pepper, cut into cubes

2 small zucchini, cut into cubes

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup pumpkin or 150 g, peeled and cut into cubes

1 potato, peeled and cut into cubes

3 whole cardamom pods

2 cubes MAGGI® Beef Bouillon

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Method:

1.      Heat the oil in a pan. Add the meat and fry until golden brown.

2.      Add the onion and cook for further 5 minutes then add the flour and mix well. Add the water, cinnamon stick, tomato, tomato paste and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour or until meat is tender.

3.      Add bell pepper, zucchini, garlic, pumpkin, potato, cardamom, black pepper and MAGGI® Beef Bouillon cubes then cook for additional 15 minutes or until meat and vegetables are cooked.

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Style Beef and Broccoli

Style Beef and Broccoli 

Beef round steak stir-fries quickly with broccoli florets and garlic, simmering in a simple marinade of sherry, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce. It’s also delicious with chicken instead of beef

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oyster sauce

 2 teaspoons Asian (toasted) sesame oil

 1/3 cup sherry

 1 teaspoon soy sauce

 1 teaspoon white sugar

 1 teaspoon cornstarch

 3/4 pound beef round steak, cut into 1/8-inch thick strips

 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more if needed

 1 thin slice of fresh ginger root

 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets

Method:

1.      Whisk together the oyster sauce, sesame oil, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place the steak pieces into a shallow bowl, pour the oyster sauce mixture over the meat, stir to coat well, and marinate for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.

2.      Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, and stir in the ginger and garlic. Let them sizzle in the hot oil for about 1 minute to flavor the oil, then remove and discard. Stir in the broccoli, and toss and stir in the hot oil until bright green and almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the wok, and set aside.

3.      Pour a little more oil into the wok, if needed, and stir and toss the beef with the marinade until the sauce forms a glaze on the beef, and the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Return the cooked broccoli to the wok, and stir until the meat and broccoli are heated through, about 3 minutes.

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Soy Sauce Beef

Soy Sauce Beef 

Malaysian food is my native cuisine and the passion, love, and enthusiasm I have will never change. Truth be told, I’ve been trying to save my Malaysian recipes, for the possible opportunity to work on a Malaysian cookbook in the future.

Ingredients:

8 oz beef flap meat, cut into pieces

2 shallots, sliced thinly (or 1/4 onion, sliced)

2 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons kicap/kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or to taste

Method:

1.Rinse the beef with water and cut it across the grain into pieces. Pat dry and set aside.

2.Heat up a wok with the oil. When the oil is heated, add the shallots and stir fry until aromatic or when the shallots turn light brown. Add the beef into the wok and stir for a few times. Add the sweet soy sauce and soy sauce and stir to blend well with the beef. Cook for a few minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Dish out and serve immediately

3.You can add a few bird’s-eye chilies or some cut red chilies if you want it spicy.

4.You can also add a lemongrass (white-part only, pounded) to make it extra aromatic..

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Beef with Red Chili

Beef with Red Chili 

This Beef and Red Chili Paste is from my friend Katie Chin’s new cookbook, Every Thai Cooking: Quick and Easy Family Style Recipes from Tuttle Publishing. A few months ago, I met Katie in person for lunch and we had a wonderful time chatting about recipes, food, cooking, and our life stories. I love Katie; she is fun, bubbly, and cheery. PWhen she sent me the preview copy of her cookbook, I immediately fell in love with this Beef with Red Chili Paste recipe.

Ingredients:

10 oz (330 g) beef tenderloin or top sirloin, sliced diagonally across the grain in ¼ in (6 mm) slices

½ teaspoon all-purpose cornstarch

¼ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil, divided

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, finely sliced

1 fresh hot red or green chili, preferably Thai (deseeded if you prefer less heat), finely sliced

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tablespoon Roasted Red Chili Paste or store-bought, (nam pla, optional)

2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin strips (optional)

2 teaspoons palm or brown sugar

¾ cup (15 g) fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves

Method:

1. Toss the beef with the all-purpose cornstarch, pepper, 1 teaspoon oil, and soy sauce. Cover for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Heat ½ of the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until it’s brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside. Wash and thoroughly dry the wok or skillet.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and chili to the wok or skillet and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the reserved beef, lime juice, fish sauce, roasted red chili paste (if using), kaffir lime leaves (if using), and palm sugar; stir-fry for 1–2 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Add the basil leaves and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until wilted. Dish out and serve immediately with jasmine rice.

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Beef Kebabs

Beef Kebabs

A few tips that will help ensure your kebabs turn out well. Marinate the meat, the longer the better. Use double skewers to make them easier to turn. Use bamboo or wooden skewers so that the inside of the steak pieces stay nice and pink. Keep a little space between the items (more space than shown in the photo above, I sort of forgot that part when I did the batch pictured), so that the food grills versus steams. And most important, keep an eye on them! Do a finger test for doneness, or if the grill is too hot, tap the meat with the end of your tongs to see how much its giving. The meat and veggies will continue to cook a little once you’ve taken them off the grill and they are resting, so keep that in mind.

Ingredients:

Marinade Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Kebab Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 large bell pepper

1-2 medium red onions

1/2 to a pound button mushrooms

About 20 bamboo or wooden skewers

Method:

1.Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours or even overnight. (Heck, I've kept the meat marinating for a couple days, still great.)

2. Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will help prevent them from completely burning up on the grill.

3.Cut the vegetables into chunks roughly the width of the beef pieces. Taking care not to poke yourself, thread the meat and vegetables onto double bamboo skewers. One way to do this safely is to put the piece that you are trying to pierce on a cutting board, and then push the skewers through the piece to the board. Using double skewers will help you turn the kebabs on the grill. If you keep a little space between the pieces, they will grill more evenly. Paint the kebabs with some of the remaining marinade.

4.Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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