WINTER FOOD RECIPIES, It's cold and or shitty and dark a lot... EAT!!! NOM&# Options

[Aki]

Beer Braised Beef Casserole... the best you'll ever taste



The following dish should be cooked with caution, Orgies may ensue... Serves 8 YOU WHORES!!!
(can be frozen once cooked and reheated in a pan with a dash of water if defrosted overnight on the kitchen work top).

1 Tablespoon of cooking oil of your choice (I prefer groundnut as its flavourless pretty much BUT IT IS MADE FROM NUTS).

250g Smoked (if possible) Lardon's (that's chunky diced bacon if you didn't know).

4 Onions chopped or diced.

2 Teaspoons of Allspice/Pimento

2 Teaspoons of Dried Thyme

1.5kg of Beef diced into approximately 4-5cm cubes for casserole (Shin is the finest you can get for this recipe but any braising steak will do), and get it from a real butchers! (if you skimp here you wont get any action).

50g Plain Flour

750ml of Leffe Brown Belgium Beer

4 Teaspoons of Wholegrain mustard.

3 Tablespoons of Dark or Light Brown Sugar.

625ml of Beef Stock (1 Knorr Beef cube in a jug of 625ml boiling water is acceptable)

4 Dried Bay Leaves.

1 Teaspoon of salt (optional really)

A good grinding of fresh Black Pepper.



Ready?



1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

2. Use a large heavy-bottomed oven proof casserole and put it on the hob and heat the oil over a medium high heat. Add the Lardons and cook until they begin to crisp (5-10 min), stirring all the while.

3. Add the chopped onions and mix into the bacon. Turn the heat down low and cook for 10 min, still stirring occasionally.

4. Once the onions have softened stir in the allspice and thyme then chuck in the beef, making sure to stir and turn the beef well so it too gets coated in the spices.

5. Shake in the flour and mix it as best as you can (I find a little at a time works better because if it all goes in at once it clumps).

6. Pour in the stock. Add the mustard and sugar. Give a good stir. Now add the beer slowly and being careful not to let it froth and spill over the casserole (if you can't fit it all in now don't panic just top it up after an hour or so of being in the oven).

7. Bring to the boil (this may take a while but keep an eye on it).

8. Add the bay leaves, salt and pepper then another good stir. Clamp on the lid and place in the oven @ the 150 degrees for 3 hours, removing checking and stirring on the hour for the first 2 and topping up the beer if you couldn't fit it in. Then checking more regularly in the last hour just to make sure the heat isn't sticking it to the pan.

Optional : if you like mushrooms why not quarter 250g of them and add to the casserole for the final hour, this will also bulk up the portions to serve 10-12.

9. SERVE



EPIC NOMS

[Aki]

Simple Great Chilli



I couldn't resist posting this.

Serves 4-6 is freezable. Defrost overnight and reheat in a pan with a dash of water.



110g Chorizo Sausage (the Spanish fatty spicy stuff) try and get it off of the deli counter as pre sliced is too thin. You'll want it sliced about the thickness of 2 pound coins. Once home dice those slices into chunks.

500g Minced Beef (from your butcher... supermarket stuff is way too greasy and eurgh and it should only be £1 or so more expensive from the butcher. Its worth it.)

1/2 Teaspoon of Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon of dried Oregano

1 Tablespoon of Tomato Purée

1 400g tin of Chopped Tomatoes

125ml of water (swilled from the empty tin of tomatoes if you like... cleaning as you go lol)

2 Teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1 400g tin of Kidney Beans drained (check they are just plain kidney beans. I saw some pre mixed with chillies the other day. I prefer to add chilli to my taste so I didn't bother with them.

Salt and Pepper to suit taste

Optional :

Chilli Powder to suit taste

Dried Chilli Seeds to suit taste

Drops of Tabasco Sauce to suit taste

Diced Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Corriander



1. Place a large lidded pan on high heat with no oil.

2. Throw in the chorizo chunks, cook them long enough (whilst stirring) until they release enough of the spicy orange oil.

3. Throw in the mince. Try to break it up and mix it in with the chorizo and the oil.

4. Once the meat has begun to loose its pink add the cocoa, oregano and tomato purée. Give a good stir then add the tomatoes then the water, worcestershire sauce and then the kidney beans and bring to the boil.

5. Turn the heat all the way down and clamp the lid on. Let it simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. When checking the mince after 10 minutes (by this time the mince is cooked already so its fine to eat) decide how much and what combination of chilli to add, if any. Stir and taste test.

6. after the 20 minutes turn the heat up full and take the lid off and get stirring. This will reduce the consistency.

7. Once ready to serve add the optional mozzarella chunks and coriander.

Nom with rice or in a baked potato