Sunday 6 July 2014

Roast parsnip and endives with beef

I won the meat raffle at the Florence Park Community Centre last night, Friday. My winnings were a beef rump steak and beef topside rolled, both from Meatmaster. The topside is from the USA, so some queeziness around corn feed lots and antibiotics, the rump steak is from the UK, so hopefully not too bad.

I bought parsnips and endives from the covered market and frozen Yorkshire puddings from Marks and Spencer's. My thinking was that on a muggy summer day we did not really want full, starchy roast beef, but a lighter flavour. When I got home I came across this recipe for Honey-Roasted Belgian Endives and Parsnips, which I will follow, but perhaps with less honey and more lemon.

Coated beef in mustard, flour, ground thyme, salt and pepper, olive oil. Put in a hot oven at 200°C on a bed of thyme, sage, lemon and tarragon.

Very disappointed with the taste of the meat, and slightly scared, and it was undercooked.

The honey roast was underdone: hotter and longer.

All in all not a great success.

Sunday 9 February 2014

Lamb leftovers and potato pie

Ingredients

Ruth brought back a 'doggy bag' of lamb from the Magdelen Arms: enough to feed a family of four!

620g lamb left overs

4 large carrots

3 medium onions

A bunch of spring onions

Frozen thyme, frozen rosemary

The lamb (mutton?) is quite fatty and fairly strong in flavour.

Slice the carrots thinly, add to large wok. Shred meat. Fry carrots in lamb fat. Then add chopped onion and lastly chopped spring onion. Soak up excess lamb fat using kitchen paper.

Add pepper, paprika, chilli and ginger.

Add a third of fried mixture to a Pyrex casserole dish. Slice two potatoes thinly, fry briefly in olive oil and place on top of mixture. Add some flour to remainder and fry, then add some water. Add to Pyrex dish. Slice and fry three more potatoes and place all in oven at 180°

Thursday 2 January 2014

Almond Spelt Bread

Ingredients

  • 600g strong white flour
  • 400g wholemeal spelt wheat flour
  • 300g ground almonds
  • 100g chopped walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons yeast
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 knob of butter
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 3 teaspoons honey
  • 400ml warm water

Mix it all together.

Wait a long time, maybe even an hour, for it to rise.

Knock it down, let it rise a little.

Put in a hot oven, adding water to a hot baking tray in the bottom for steam.

Cooked for 35 minutes, however then needed another 10 minutes.