Horizon's Cookery Class

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  • If you've got the time to do it then a slow pot roast is really the way to go. Inexpensive cuts like brisket are really tasty done this way. Once the heat is set then you can go out and leave it to do it's thing. Hob is better than the oven IMO because you can check on the liquid level easily especially if you have glass topped pans.

  • I'm slow cooking a beef pot roast on the hob: Silverside joint, stock, bay leaves, garlic, shallots, carrots and seasoning. 4-5 hours and the meat will be melt in the mouth plus some serious gravy.

    Sounds very nice!

    If you've got the time to do it then a slow pot roast is really the way to go. Inexpensive cuts like brisket are really tasty done this way. Once the heat is set then you can go out and leave it to do it's thing. Hob is better than the oven IMO because you can check on the liquid level easily especially if you have glass topped pans.

    I've got a casserole dish which has a metal base which can go on the hob, so I'll try that.

    For my Easter dinner it was Roast Lamb, which was half price from Tescos. I haven't cooked lamb in a long time, let alone eaten it, but it was a doddle to do and very nice.

    Happy belated Easter everyone! :D

  • :) Actually I'm just giving the nod to my northern kin at the original Pagan festival of the northern spring, known to the pre-Christian Anglo Saxons and Germanics as Oestre.

    An adopted festival by the invading middle eastern faith. Nothing to do with executed reformist rabbis and everything to do with the festival of regeneration and fertility. :)

  • That pic is the basic hearty home style stew which I vary slightly, depending on what I'm going to do to change its character a bit.

    The whole thing takes only about an hour or so and can be made even by someone who works all day and wants to do this when they get home.

    First buy some nice stewing meat. We ask the butcher and he cuts it while you wait. I cut it up into smaller bits at home and divide into two or more packages, depending on the quantity. Keep one in fridge and freeze the rest. Very economical.

    Next select some potatoes, enough for your stew. I use about three or four medium sized potatoes, peel, wash, dice and micro till done.

    Put on some rice, if you like to plonk your stew on a bed of rice. It will cook while you are doing the stew.

    Next heat a sloshing of oil in a large saucepan. Add seasonings like onions, garlic, etc. As I hate these two with a passion I use a small handful of a lovely mixed seasoning I buy from my sister-in-law who sells it for a neighbour who mixes and bottles this to sell at the farm and food markets. It has dried onion and garlic, lemon, herbs, pepper etc and smells fantastic when the oil warms up. (If not this seasoning, I use Ina Pearlman's green onion seasoning, which you probably don't get in the UK but you'll have all sorts of yummy alternatives.) Add salt and a cube of beef stock. Add stewing beef cubes and sear. Add anything from a half to a cup of white wine. Allow alcohol to burn off, then add two sachets of tomato paste. (About 100g), Add herbs of your choice, add a big splash of fresh lemon juice if you have any, add a large pinch of curry powder of your choice (I use spicy medium) add water to submerge beef, cover with lid and and simmer for ten minutes.

    When potatoes are cooked, set aside until needed. If you've steamed them in a micro steamer, put the water you used for this into the stew.

    Add a handful of frozen mixed veg for every person. Add more boiling water and replace lid to cook for fifteen minutes.

    Add cooked, diced potatoes. Here, I get quirky and add sweetcorn kernels and raisins. These work well with the carrots, white wine and curry.

    Cook for a bit and then add a little cornflour mixed with water to thicken gravy. Continue to simmer until sauce is translucent.

    Serve on bed of rice. To make rice more interesting, boil the rice with a teaspoon of turmeric. Gives lovely golden colour which works well with curry, raisins and white wine and adds a floral-earthy flavour.

    Enjoy.

    This is not gourmet cooking, this is good old school comfort food. :)

  • Thanks for posting that LW, I will give it a go.

    One thing I spotted, which never occurred to me, is you microwave the potatoes rather than boiling them. Never thought of that, and I've never even heard of a microwave steamer, so that is a new one on me.

    I microwave my (peeled and cut up) spuds and parsnips prior to roasting them. It's faster than boiling but the outsides don't fluff so much. Useful when you're in a hurry. 400g needs about 10 minutes.

  • This is my steamer, H. I have two and gave a third one to my sister-in-law. Mine has carotene stain from all the carrots that have been steamed. I use it to steam grated carrot for my spaghetti carrot sauce. :D

    steamer.JPG

  • I microwave my (peeled and cut up) spuds and parsnips prior to roasting them. It's faster than boiling but the outsides don't fluff so much. Useful when you're in a hurry. 400g needs about 10 minutes.

    This is my steamer, H. I have two and gave a third one to my sister-in-law. Mine has carotene stain from all the carrots that have been steamed. I use it to steam grated carrot for my spaghetti carrot sauce. :D

    This is all new to me, but I have been out of the loop for a "while". Need to catch up with all sort so of things. :)

  • I've had my steamers for yonks and don't see them in the shops any more, so I'm glad I was given more than one as presents. We also inherited a number of kitchen items when Mr Wing's Mum died. I now have a very nice lettuce spinner.

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