Beef and Chestnut Mushroom Stew

Some leftover cooked silverside beef was the basis for this dish. Stir-fried for five minutes in olive oil, along with some julienned red onion,  and then I added a mixture of cornmeal, onion granules and water. Stirred together thoroughly. Simmered for half an hour.

Three quartered chestnut mushrooms were added. Cooked under glass for another half an hour, along with the addition of beef stock (an Oxo cube will do).

Served with black pepper and basmati rice, cooked for around twelve minutes. A tasty dish!

Beef and Black Bean Soup with Garlic

A simple and delicious soup made with some left over silverside beef, dried black beans, a leek, garlic, plus beef and vegetable stock.

A medium handful of dried black beans were soaked in cold water overnight. One leek was cut lengthwise into four strips, and then diced crosswise. The leek was cooked in a little sunflower oil at a medium heat, stirring frequently, for fifteen minutes or so, until it began to brown.

After that I added about two thirds of a pint of water to the pan, and the black beans. The combination was simmered under glass for an hour and a half. Stir occasionally. Then blitz the soup ingredients with an electric blender for at least two minutes.

Add a medium squirt of tomato puree, and four cloves of garlic, diced. Stir together, and increase the heat.

Remove any fat attached to the beef, and dice into short strips. Add to the pan and stir in thoroughly. Cook for another twenty minutes or so, at a low heat, before serving. An option is to add a little turmeric to the soup base, for a little extra bite. The flavour and texture of the soup base complements the beef wonderfully. I could have cheated by using a pre-made garlic and black bean sauce, but I wanted to know what came out when I made such a sauce from scratch.

Silverside Beef with Root Vegetables

A small joint (680g) of Silverside beef, oven cooked in a casserole dish. The joint was placed on top of a bed of carrots and diced onion, and the top of the joint was seasoned with sea salt. Also drizzled with some sunflower oil. Plus one wineglass full of cold water poured over the vegetables. 

Cooked for seventy five minutes at around 190 deg C.

The casserole dish was taken out of the oven, and the chunks of potato were added, along with about half a pint of boiling water.

The dish was put back into the oven, and the temperature was turned down to around  100-110 degrees, and allowed to cook for another hour and a half. By which time the beef is wonderfully tender. Allow the joint to stand and cool for about twenty minutes, then (after cutting off the string holding the joint together) cut into slices with an electric carving knife. No further seasoning is required. Fabulous!

Silverside Beef with Root Vegetables, and a Black Olive Sidesalad

A joint of Scottish prime silverside beef, slow roasted in the oven for two hours, at 180 deg C. Cooked on a bed of root vegetables - 2 carrots, 2 onions, one large carrot, and a chopped stick of celery (celeriac can be used instead). Sea salt was rubbed into the top of the joint, along with freshly ground black pepper. Roasted in a large casserole dish, with half a pint of beef stock.

The joint was allowed to cool overnight. It was cut into slices the following day, following the grain of the meat, rather than across it.

The gravy was made by liquidising half of the root vegetables and the stock from the roast. The rest of the root vegetables became part of the dish, along with the gravy.

The beef and the vegetables were reheated for 20 minutes in a pre-heated steamer, decanted onto a plate, and dressed with black pepper.

The side salad comprised black olives, a four leaf salad (red lettuce, chard, rocket, and spinach), dressed in fresh lemon juice.

A ro

Beef, Kidney Bean and Potato Casoulet

Made with the same basic ingredients as the recent beef and kidney bean stew (May 2016). This time the potatoes and the other ingredients are all cooked together, as in an Irish stew. 

Stew made with strips of silverside beef, tinned kidney beans in juice, red pepper, shredded tomato, tomato puree, smoked paprika, garlic cloves, chopped spring onion, oregano and black pepper. 

The beef was browned a little in a pot for four minutes, then I added the tomato and sliced red pepper, along with some boiling water and some beef stock. After five minutes, the kidney beans were added, the puree, the garlic, the pepper, the spring onion, the herbs, the carrots. and the potatoes (Charlotte). 

Simmer in a glass-lidded pot for about one hour. Easy!

Beef, Kidney Bean and Potato Casoulet

Beef and Kidney Bean Stew

Stew made with strips of silverside beef, tinned kidney beans in juice, red pepper, shredded tomato, tomato puree, smoked paprika, garlic cloves, oregano and black pepper. 

The beef was browned a little in a pot for four minutes, then I added the tomato and sliced red pepper, along with some boiling water and some beef stock. After five minutes, the kidney beans were added, the puree, the garlic, the pepper and the herbs. Allowed to simmer while the potatoes (Charlotte) were cooking. Served also with white cabbage, boiled for five to ten minutes, according to preference. 

Beef and Kidney Bean Stew

Marinaded Beef Stir Fry

Silverside beef, brocolli, white cabbage, yellow pepper, red pepper, spring onion, mushroom, garlic, finger chillies, fresh ginger root, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, and cashews.

The silverside was cut into thin strips and marinaded for twenty four hours in dark soy and oyster sauce. The vegetables were also marinaded in rice wine and oyster sauce. 

The beef strips were cooked at a high heat for three minutes. The vegetables were added to the wok after being drained, and cooked at a medium heat for ten minutes or so, stirring often,  until ready to serve. 

Marinaded Beef Stir Fry

Silverside and Vegetable Roast

The beef silverside joint (1.1kg) was roasted in a preheated oven (220 deg C) for thirty minutes, then the heat was turned down to 160 deg C for the remaining 90 minutes. The roast sat on a bed of potatoes, carrots, parsnips and spanish onion. The top side of the joint was dusted with sea salt and black pepper. 

The roast was intended to be consumed the following day, so the joint and the vegetables and juices were allowed to cool, then separately boxed for the fridge. The joint was cut into slices with an electric carving knife when cool. 

Half of the vegetables were added to the steamer, and three of the silverside slices. The juices became the basis of a rich gravy, cooked separately with beef stock, onion, cornflour, and a bay leaf.  The vegetables, gravy and the silverside were ready to serve after 25 minutes under glass. 

The Silverside Roast, fresh from the oven

The vegetables and slices of Silverside in the steamer

Silverside and Vegetable Roast as served