Garlic studded beef pot roast

November 1, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is a recipe from Emeril Lagasse and I’ve made it multiple times. It is full of flavor, garlicky, and the meat is very, very tender with a rich sauce.

1 (3 to 3 1/2 lb) boneless beef chuck roast
10 to 12 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in 1/2 lengthwise
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup beef stock, plus more if necessary. (I found I needed about 4 cups)
Fresh chopped thyme leaves and parsley, for garnish
Roasted vegetables, recipe below

Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make 20 to 24 evenly spaced small slits about 1 1/2 inches deep all over the pot roast. Using your fingers, insert the garlic cloves as deep into the meat as possible. Season the roast evenly on all sides with the salt and pepper.

Heat a heavy casserole dish (Dutch oven) over high heat. Add the oil and when very hot, use the meat fork to add the roast.
Sear on all sides until VERY well browned. This is where a lot of the flavor comes from. When the roast is evenly browned on all sides, add the stock and stir to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Cover the casserole dish with a lid, reduce the heat to low/medium-low and cook the roast until it is very tender, about 3 hours, turning two or three times during the entire cooking time.
Check occasionally to make sure that you always have 1 inch or so of liquid on the bottom of the pan (Hence the need to have 4 cups of stock available)

When the roast is very tender, transfer to a serving platter and slice or pull the meat apart into serving pieces.
Reduce the pan juices until the flavor is more intense and serve drizzled over the roast and the roasted vegetables that you serve around the roast. Garnish with the fresh thyme leaves and parsley.

Roasted vegetables

2 turnips, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
12 red pearl onions
2 beets cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F

Place all the vegetables except the beets in a roasting pan. Place the beets in a separate roasting pan.
Drizzle all vegetables with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Place in the oven and roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and caramelized.

Do-ahead · Holiday Food · Meat

Cornbread dressing with sausage and fennel

October 28, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

A lovely recipe adapted from Bon Appetite magazine.

Make this weeks ahead, freeze and bring out the day before you need it, to thaw slowly.

8 cups cornbread cubes (dried out)
1lb bulk Italian sweet sausage meat or chorizo
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) butter
1 large fennel bulb, chopped, plus some fronds for serving
4 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
10 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Bosc or Comice pears, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine
3 tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp dried sage leaves
2 cups chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 extra large eggs, beaten to blend

Preheat oven to 300F
If you don’t buy the pre-bagged cornbread cubes, then divide your cornbread cubes between two baking sheets. Bake, tossing occasionally, until beginning to brown in spots, 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the sausage meat in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up with a spoon, until dark brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage meat to a small bowl. Let cool

Reduce the heat to medium and heat 8 tbsp butter in the same skillet. Add the fennel, celery, scallions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the pears and wine, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 400 F.
Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.
Combine sausage, fennel mixture, parsley, marjoram, thyme, sage and 1 1/2 cups broth in a large bowl.
Add the cornbread and toss to combine: season with salt and pepper and let sit for about 10 minutes, then add the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and toss, adding more broth if necessary. (The bread should be moist not soggy)
Add the eggs and mix gently just to combine.
Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and dot with the remaining 2 tbsp butter.

Cover the dressing with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake until the dressing is golden and crisp on top, 20 to 30 minutes longer.
Serve topped with the fennel fronds.

Egg based · Meat · Whole30 compliant

Braised eggs with ground lamb, tahini and sumac

October 27, 2013January 7, 2017 Belinda

A gem from Yotam Ottolenghi…

Serves 2 as a substantial meal on it’s own

3 x oven roasted tomatoes or 1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes
olive oil
1 large leek, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
4 x cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3/4 lb ground lamb
2 tsp sumac
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp za’atar
salt and black pepper
2 x generous handfuls roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
1 tbsp harissa paste (store bought is fine)
1/2 preserved lemon, flesh discarded & skin finely diced
1 cup chicken stock
4 x extra large free range eggs

Yoghurt sauce

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp tahini
juice of half lemon
1 tbsp water
pinch sea salt

To finish
Sumac
1 tbsp green harissa or a handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

If using cherry tomatoes, heat a small , cast iron grill pan over high heat until very hot. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes until starting to blacken on the outside. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat a generous slosh of olive oil in a heavy based frying pan over medium heat.
Add the sliced leeks and garlic to the pan and saute, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften and turn slightly golden.
Add the lamb to the pan, increase the heat slightly, and cook for a further 5 minutes or so until the lamb is browned.
Add the sumac, cumin, za’atar, pinch of flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir to make sure everything is well coated with all the seasonings and cook for a further minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped pistachios, harissa paste and preserved lemon.
This dish could be prepared ahead up to this point.

Return the pan to the heat, adding the tomatoes and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, make 4 small wells in the mixture and break an egg into each well.
Cover the pan, and continue to cook over low heat until the egg whites are set but the yolk is still runny – about 5 minutes.

While the eggs are cooking, make the yoghurt sauce by mixing all the ingredients together and whisking until smooth.
The mixture should be quite thick, but thin with a little more water if it’s too thick.

Once the eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat, dot dollops of the yoghurt sauce over the top, sprinkle over a little sumac and finish with a drizzle of green harissa or a sprinkling of fresh cilantro sprigs

Serve immediately

Gluten Free · Meat · Poultry

Spanish style chicken traybake

October 21, 2013January 10, 2016 Belinda

Another one of those great throw-everything-in-a-roasting-dish recipes! This time, from the Hairy Bikers recipe book.

Serves 4

1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips (optional)
1lb small potatoes, quartered lengthways
8 whole large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
8 medium tomatoes, quartered
8 oz chorizo, preferably picante, skin removed
8 large boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 heaped tsp sweet or smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
Good olive oil
Ground black pepper and sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Put the onions, potatoes, peppers, garlic and tomatoes in a large roasting tin and season with sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper then sprinkle lightly with olive oil
Toss everything together lightly and roast for 20 to 25 minutes

While the vegetables are cooking, skin the chorizo and cut the meat into thin slices. Set aside

Put the chicken thighs on a board and carefully slash each one 2 or 3 times with a knife. Season all over with salt and pepper and rub into the chicken.

Mix the paprika and oregano together and set aside

After 20 minutes or so, take the roasting tin out of the oven, scatter the chorizo over the vegetables and turn everything a couple of times.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and chorizo and sprinkle with the paprika and oregano.
Season with a little salt and black pepper, sprinkle the chicken pieces with a little olive oil and return to the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

There are so many variations to this recipe and you certainly don’t have to stick to the quantities of this recipe. Use you imagination!

Meat · Pasta

Baked potato skins mac and cheese

October 19, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

Utterly decadent, rich and satisfying for the whole family. All it needs is a green salad.
This comes from a fellow food blogger called “A Spicy Perspective”

Serves 8

24 oz baby potatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 lb elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 lbs shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
10 oz cream cheese, divided
12 oz bacon, fried and crumbled, divided
1 cup chopped green onions, divided
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil.
Salt and pepper liberally and shake the pan a little to coat them with oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Then set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water, according to the package instructions.
Drain and set aside in a colander.

Using the same pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook the roux (butter-flour) for 1 minutes.
Then whisk in the milk and add the sour cream and 8 oz cream cheese. Bring to a simmer and whisk until the mixture is thick and smooth

Add 1lb shredded cheddar and whisk until smooth. Then add a dash or two of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cooked macaroni, 2/3 crumbled bacon and 2/3 cup green onions into the cheese sauce. Stir to coat.

Pour the macaroni into a deep 9 by 13 inch baking dish and set aside.

For the potato skins recipe;
Preheat the oven to broil. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. carefully scoop out most of the flesh, leaving just a little potato attached to the skin. Reserve the crumbled potato flesh.

Brush the potato skins with oil. With the remaining 2 oz of cream cheese, place a scant 1/2 tsp dollop of cream cheese in each potato skin.

Sprinkle the crumbled potato over the mac and cheese then arrange the potato skins over the top.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 lb shredded cheese over the potato skins and add pepper to taste.

For creamy mac and cheese; place the dish in the oven under the broiler for 2 to3 minutes, watch carefully though. You want the cheese to melt and the tops to toast, but not burn

For a more traditional firm dish; turn the oven to 400 F and bake for 20 mins until the tops are golden.

Once out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining green onions and bacon over the top and serve warm.

Meat

Sweet chili roasted sausages and butternut squash

October 19, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

These all-in-one-pan roasts are divine and fast. Great for working people to throw together at the end of a hard day and you have a delicious meal. This dish is incredibly simple but just a little different because of the sweet chili sauce and cilantro.

Serves 4

8 good pork sausages (I use sweet Italian)
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 small/medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
2 small red onions, peeled and quartered
12 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small handful cilantro, leaves picked and chopped

Heat the oven to 400 F.

Put the sausages in a bowl with the sweet chili sauce and shake around until they are fully coated with the sauce. Tip them into a large roasting pan.

Toss the butternut squash and red onion in with the sausages.

Nestle the cherry tomatoes around the dish and then drizzle the lot with the olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 30 minutes, or until the sausages are golden brown and the vegetables tender.

Scatter with the chopped cilantro and serve in the center of the table with crusty bread to mop up the juices

Do-ahead · Meat

Slow cooked, apple-mustard pulled pork

October 16, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

So tasty, so sloooowly cooked and falling off the bone…

Serves 6
Cooks for 8 hours plus overnight salting

7 oz sea salt
10 1/2 oz light muscovado sugar
4lb piece of shoulder of pork
3oz whole grain mustard
4 fl oz maple syrup
2 tbsp English mustard powder or English mustard like Colmans. (Available in US stores)

Mix the sea salt and 2/3 of the sugar in a large food bag, add the pork and coat it well. (If you don’t have a food bag, rub over the pork and coat it well)
Leave in the fridge overnight

The next day, remove the pork and wipe down the meat with kitchen paper.
Heat the oven to 275 F.
Mix the remaining sugar, the maple syrup, mustards and some ground pepper.
Rub half the mixture over the pork and sit it on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast for 6 hours.
Spoon the remaining maple mixture over the pork and roast for 1 hour more

Rest the meat for 30 mins on a plate loosely covered with foil.
To serve, tear the pork into big, fat chunks and, after skimming the surface, spoon over any juices from the tin

Meat

Roasted sausages with grapes and chestnuts

October 13, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

Now Fall is coming, I think of roasted and baked dishes, especially this one with the woodsy flavor of the roasted chestnuts and sticky sweetness of the grapes along with the divine sausages. Some simple mashed potato would suffice here.

Serves 4

8 good quality pork sausages
7 oz cooked vacuum packed chestnuts
10 oz Portobello mushrooms, cut into thick chunks
9 oz sweet seedless grapes
1 large onion, cut into half moon shaped wedges
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, all the cloves separated but not peeled
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 good sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
10 fl oz red wine
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F

Put everything except the red wine into a broad, shallow ovenproof dish.
Turn the ingredients over so that they get coated in the olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, crush about half of the grapes so they release their juices into the pan.
Put into the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Put in the red wine, mix well and cook for another 25 minutes or so. You can turn the sausages halfway through the cooking so they get colored on both sides.
The sausages and vegetables will cook and brown beautifully and the wine will reduce, leaving you with a gorgeous dark and bubbling dish.

Gluten Free · Meat

Pork tenderloin with gorgonzola thyme sauce

October 13, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

I love pork tenderloins as they are so easy to cook and carve, they are very low fat and take all sorts of bold flavors. This is a gorgeous sauce and again simple but decadent.

Serves 4

3 pork tenderloins (about 3 lbs in total)
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil for the frying pan
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1/4 lb Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
3/4 tsp minced fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper after removing the silverskin.

Merely wipe a heavy cast iron frying an with vegetable oil and heat over high heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides. remove from the pan to a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 mins until cooked through but still a bit pink.

In a small saucepan, reduce the wine over a moderate heat to 1 tbsp. Add the cream and reduce by half.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the gorgonzola, fresh thyme and butter into the sauce, whisking constantly until incorporated. Season to taste and add the chives.

To serve:

Slice the tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices and place on heated plates. Surround with the sauce and serve immediately