Ground Lamb and Mushrooms, with Brocolli Spears

Fresh ground minced lamb, browned and then simmered under glass for two hours. Then I added diced mushrooms, lamb stock, oregano, and two bay leaves.

 Simmered again under glass for another 45 minutes, with some onion gravy granules. Served with Brocolli spears, cooked in salted water for ten minutes under glass.
 

Unsmoked Gammon Joint

A bargain 1.4 kg gammon joint from Sainsbury's over Christmas. Oven roasted in a casserole dish with Spanish onion and diced carrots, and a drizzle of Olive oil.

Cooked for two hours altogether, on the middle shelf of the oven, at 190 deg. C. Take off the lid of the casserole dish for the last thirty minutes. A glorious smell in the kitchen!

Leave the joint to cool for an hour or two before carving with an electric knife.

Served with - in addition to the onion and carrots -  boiled potatoes,  cooked with coriander seeds. Also well served with Brocolli spears.

Beef Bourguignon

One of the most famous French dishes, though it is lacking documentation before the nineteenth century. Essentially it is a beef stew, cooked with diced onions, mushrooms and garlic, and simmered for a couple of hours in beef stock and some red wine. Often cooked with a little chopped bacon, but this addition is an uneccessary detail. I added a little diced carrot to lend some sweetness.

The onions were fried in some olive oil until they began to brown, then the diced beef was added and browned for twenty minutes, stirring frequently. Add the quartered mushrooms and the diced garlic. Cook for another ten minutes. Add the beef stock and half a glass of red wine. Mix some cornmeal with water, and add to the pot, stirring for five minutes. Add the herbs.

Simmer under glass for between one and two hours, according to preference. Served in this case with brocolli spears, boiled in salted water for seven minutes under glass. More usually served with boiled potatoes or rice.

Brisket Beef in an Onion and Tomato Gravy

A traditional Jewish dish, made with Brisket beef and a gravy of tomato, onion and carrot, served with brocolli spears, and boiled Maris Piper potatoes.

The brisket joint was about 800g, which is enough to feed six people. This meal was for three people, so I used about half of the joint for the meal.

The joint was first browned in the oven  (180 deg C.) in a roasting dish, for 30 minutes each side. Then it was placed in a large saute pan with salted water, and cooked for four hours, with occasional turning.

That left lots of time for creating the gravy. I batonned two medium-sized carrots, and diced a large Spanish onion. These were cooked for twenty minutes. Then I added sixteen diced cherry tomatoes and cooked the ensemble for a further twenty minutes. Crushed and diced garlic was added, along with tomato puree (or passata), beef and vegetable stock. Two dashes of cardamom, plus Herbes de Provence, Coriander, and Basil were also added.

Since this meal was intended for a dinner party the next day, everything went into the fridge as soon as it had cooled.

The next morning the brisket joint was cut into thin slices using an electric carving knife, against the grain of the beef. Tougher to cut, but it is the best way to do it.

The slices of beef were put into a flat pan with the onion and tomato gravy, and cooked for around half an hour to forty-five minutes, by which time the beef is incredibly tender. During which time I prepared the potatoes and the brocolli. The former cooked for twenty minutes plus, and the brocolli for ten minutes under glass at a low heat.

Served in this case with red wine, and utterly delicious!

[Celery can be added to the ingredients of this dish, as well as bay leaf, and rosemary and thyme. There are lots of variations. All delicious.]

Chipolata Sausage, with Button Mushrooms in a Ham Gravy

A simple dish of fried pork chipolata sausages, in a ham gravy with halved button mushrooms. Served with steamed brocolli spears and flat cut potatoes.

The sausages were cooked slowly for about twenty minutes and regularly turned. The button mushrooms were added during the final ten minutes. I made the gravy with ham stock, and a dessert spoonful of Bisto gravy granules. Simmered under glass for a further fifteen minutes.

The potatoes were boiled for twenty minutes under glass, and the brocolli spears were steamed for eight minutes.

Dress with black pepper before serving.

Vegetables in Hoisin & Garlic Sauce, with Crispy Noodles

Brocolli spears, chopped mushroom, red onion, red chilli, and bamboo shoots, in a hoisin and garlic sauce, served on a bed of crispy noodles. 

The vegetables were stir-fried in a little sunflower oil at a medium heat for about 15 minutes, until tender. Alternatively, the vegetables can be parboiled first, and the stir-fry time reduced. Then the sauce was added to the wok, and stirred in thoroughly to the vegetables. Allow to cook under glass for another four to five minutes. 

The crispy noodles were prepared first, by soaking in boiled water for five minutes. Drained, and allowed to dry a little. Then they were decanted into a wok brushed with sunflower oil at high heat until the underside of the noodles becomes crispy (check by turning at the edges). Turn the noodles over several times over the next two minutes, then decant to the serving plate, and add the vegetables in the hoisin and garlic sauce. 

Vegetables in Hoisin & Garlic Sauce, with Crispy Noodles