Slow Cooked Beef Rib

Slow Cooked Beef Rib

 I love my slow cooker. I love it so much, I have 2 and I use them both. The one I inherited from my Mom, she hated it, she said it cooks too slowly (duh)! The 2nd one I won in a cooking competition with Jenny Morris.

The best part of slow cooker cooking is you can throw everything in, walk away and come back 6 -8 hours later and have perfectly cooked food. I don't even defrost the meat first! It turns the cheapest cuts of tough leather into the softest melt in your mouth, fall off the bone goodness.

Weekends are always easy food times in my home. So easy that if it takes more than cutting a bread roll or a baguette - it's just not happening. But even someone as lazy as me, sometimes needs more than just cold meat and cheese rolls.

My latest slow cooking experience was inspired by Kimberly Peterson, from Kimba's Kitchen.

I have never liked beef ribs, I find them tough with too much sinew and fat. The only reason I have them is because I buy my beef as a hind quarter, and that includes the ribs. Slow cooking is definately the answer to rendering the fat and tenderising the meat.  The end result is soft meat packed full of flavour.

I used my beef ribs to make great meat filled bread rolls.

Slow Cooked Beef Ribs

500g Beef Ribs
30ml Dark Soya Sauce
500ml Fresh Orange Juice

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker.***
Cook on high for 6- 8 hours.
Enjoy!
*** If you do not have a slow cooker, you can bake this in a very low oven (110ºC). 

To make Beef Rib Rolls

Allow the meat to cool enough to handle.
Remove the meat, bones and sinew.
Add a little of the cooking sauce, if it looks too dry.
Cut fresh bread rolls in half and spread a little of the cooking sauce on the bread.
Place a bed of lettuce on the roll - I like rocket and watercress.
Place the meat on the lettuce bed, top with gerhkins and season.
Serve and enjoy.

Lamb Shank and Beans

Lamb Shank and Beans

This dish has been planned for such a long time, I've made it in my head for the last 6 months. Eventually I woke up to a day, where the weather was slightly cooler than hell. This has certainly been one of the hottest summers I can remember in ages, even the ants agree (we speak every evening, as they have taken up residence at the kitchen sink, seeking a cool respite from the dry heat outside).

I am yet to find one product which will stop them (the ants) returning, to what I think as became known as the "Ant Summer Holiday Spa", with complimentary drinks and food.

I have read that all these ants are a sign that winter is going to be extremely wet. This certainly has not made me more hospitable to my uninvited guests.

So, back to the Lamb Shank. It is very easy to cook and only needs patience to produce wonderfully soft meat with a full flavour sauce. I love the added beans and mushrooms, they are both nutritious and add good flavour.  My secret ingredient is the anchovies, they are full of meaty goodness without any fishiness.

Lamb Shank with Beans and Mushrooms
Serves 2

2 Lamb Shanks
3 Carrots, peeled and diced
3 Celery Stalks diced
4 Onions peeled and diced in wedges
4 Whole Peeled Garlic Cloves (leave them whole as to not overpower the dish)
6 Anchovy Fillets (this sounds a lot, but trust me it really works well)
750ml Vegetable Stock ( I used Nomu Fond)
250g Portablini Mushrooms (small brown mushrooms)
1 Tin Butter Beans
250g Green Beans, washed and trimmed - cut in ½
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Salt to taste.

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC
Heat on the stove a "stove- to-oven casserole pot" and brown the shanks.
Remove the meat and add the carrots, onions, celery and caramelize.
Add the meat and anchovies, fry for another minute.
Add the stock and black pepper..
Place in the oven for about 1½ -2 hours, until meat is soft and the vegetables are cooked down.
The sauce should be almost completely reduced.
Check the seasoning. I didn't need  to add extra salt, but you do need to check.
Add another cup of water, the beans and return to the oven for another ½ hour.
Check the seasoning and serve with either mash, or fresh crusty bread.

Fig and Walnut Muffins

Fresh Fig and Walnut Muffins

My first introduction to muffins was in the 1980's when the 30 Day Muffin recipe was the rage. This recipe lets you make a batter which you can keep in the fridge for up to 30 days, baking fresh batches as needed.

There was a sigh of relief when those 30 days were finally finished. They certainly were not my favourite, while I know bran is very good for you - I have never been excited by the dry texture.

For a long time I always considered muffins as health food, which is not really true, but all that bran put it in the rice-cake family for me. This was until a local coffee shop franchise Mugg and Bean introduced me to the mega muffin (lemon and poppy seed) - which was similar to the 30 day muffin, in that it either took 30 people or 30 days to eat - it was so big.

So began my love for the muffin, which tasted like cake -filled and flavoured with anything that took my fancy.  I make muffins more often than any other baked goodie, it's simple to make and the options are endless.

This brings me to my latest creation Fresh Fig and Walnut Muffin.

Fig and Walnut Muffins
Makes 12 Muffins

1½ Cups Self Raising Flour
½ Cup Plain Flour
½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Cup Milk or Buttermilk or Plain Yoghurt
¾ Light Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Chopped Figs (Lightly packed)
½ Cup Walnuts
Extra Light Brown Sugar for Sprinkling (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.
Grease and or line with muffin papers a muffin tin of 80ml capacity cups.
In one bowl sift together the flours and add all the dry ingredients.
In a second bowl mix together the wet ingredients, including the fruit.
Make a well in the centre of the flour bowl and gently combine the wet and dry.
Mix only until the flour is moistened - it will be a lumpy batter. DO NOT BEAT.
Divide the mixture equally between the 12 muffin cups.
Sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on each muffin (optional)
Bake for 20 -25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
Allow to cool and enjoy.

Take Time for Lunch

Courgette and Ricotta Toasts

 Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You've heard that from your doctor, your health guru, your Patrick Holford books, your friends (the fat and the skinny ones) and of course even your Mother. I always have breakfast, but I certainly don't have time to put much thought into it.

Unless you idly rich, unfortunately unemployed, live with your mother or in an institution like prison, it's highly unlikely you have time to make a cooked breakfast on a weekday morning - unlike every family on American TV that has pancakes every morning (which no one ever eats). For me it's either a tub of yoghurt, cereal, some fruit or if I'm really thinking out the box a slice of toast (on weekends only).

Now lunch, this is a meal I can selfishly enjoy. It's the one meal that I can make and not consider any family dietary requirements, tastes or moods. I work ½ day (collective sigh here) and when I get home at lunch time, I love the freedom of having whatever I feel like eating. This is me time. I prefer to eat a larger lunch and a smaller supper - that's just me, and I know it's because I work ½ day (another collective sigh).

Here is my lunch from Friday - I know I would be the only one in my family to eat a combination like this, but it was so good. I ate it so fast I got hiccups! 

Courgette and Ricotta Toasts
Serves 1 (Me, Me and only Me)

3 slices Ciabatta Bread 
2 Courgettes thinly sliced lengthwise
4 Tablespoons Fresh Ricotta
6 Capers
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Heat your griddle pan to hot.
Rub the bread and courgettes with oil
Toast the bread in the pan and grill the courgettes until marked and slightly soft.
Place a generous amount of ricotta on each slice of toast.
Place the sliced courgettes on the ricotta.
Place 2 Capers on each slice.
Season to taste.
Drizzle with a little extra olive oil.
Enjoy alone if possible. 

Chef up Your Tuna Steak

Tuna Steaks on Fried Potatoes and Raw Beetroot

 
As a working wife and mother, I know the weekday humdrum of meal preparation. For those who still have small children, getting anything (except stray pieces of lint or toy parts) into their children's mouth, with out a temper tantrum, is enough of an achievement.

I am very lucky to have a family who are well trained ("You don't have to like it - You just have to eat it"). They eat most things I give them, without too many complaints (and even fewer I take seriously). There is a slight downside to this - you get a similar reaction to toasted cheese sandwiches, as the fancy meal you spent all afternoon slaving in the kitchen preparing.

But sometimes I pull out all the stops, even if it's only for myself.  I like to pretend I'm a professional chef and plating meals at the Rubens. It's over-kill I know, but it's great to play with your food occasionally.

These flavour combinations might seem strange, but they work well - balancing colour, texture, flavours and temperature. I like to mix hot and cold in the same dish - I call it " a surprise party in your mouth", you never know what to expect.

Tuna Steaks on Fried Potatoes and Raw Beetroot
Serves 2

2 Tuna Steaks (2cm thick)
2 Potatoes
2 Small Beetroot (peeled)
Olive Oil

Slice the peeled potatoes into 5mm rounds.
Fry the potatoes in a little oil, until golden and cooked through
Slice the beetroot as thinly as possible, wearing gloves (a vegetable peeler will work well)
Heat a griddle pan to medium hot.
Rub the steaks with olive oil
Grill until just done - medium rare is best with tuna.
Lay the potatoes and the beetroot on the plate, top with the cooked tuna.
Drizzle with a olive oil. 
Serve with this green sauce :

Green Sauce

5-8 Green Olives (pitted)
20g Parsley
3-4 Anchovy fillets
15 -20ml Capers
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
10 - 15ml Olive Oil

Pound all the ingredients together, taste and adjust to your liking.
Serve with fish.