Ready Steady, Cook.

[Lickey]

Just thinking ahead for tomorrow nights meal,what would you home and Pro Chefs make from the ingredients in the pic?

The things that are not so clear: bag of crunchy mixed salad, TG pepper salami, TG liver Pate, Diced stew pack beef.

We have all the normal kitchen things like flour,eggs, spices,bread, gas oven/grill with 3 top burners, microwave ect.

Looking forward to some recipes, Thanks, Lickey & Pan..

[Lickey]

Perhaps a curry with the diced beef and veg? salami salad starter?

Anybody??

[bkkjames]

Perhaps a curry with the diced beef and veg? salami salad starter?

Anybody??

Take the cheese, salami and pate and place it on a plate, serve with bread (half-baquette) and olive oil and balsamic on the side. This will be your starter. Serve it 20-30 mins before your main.

For your stew / braise the beef slightly first in the same pot you will use to make the stew. Once done, the beef needs to be boiled gently for awhile to soften it up, a good hour or so (add in one cube of beef or chicken stock). Then add in your veggies for another 45 mins and gently simmer. Meanwhile think about flavoring your stew with the usual condiments. Go easy with the spices at first as you can always add more as you go along if required. (taste as you go) Dice up a tomotoe and throw it in the pot with the rest of your ingredients. Don't put your potatoes in too early as they go too soft starchy otherwise.

If it were me, I would go for a more mediterranean flavour to the stew. When you serve it up, top it off with a nice big dash of parmesan cheese and serve the remainder of your bread, your salad with a nice light dressing (italian, french or similar.)

[bonobo]

I will go along with bkkjames on the starter.

For the main course, it depends on the quality of the beef. If it is halfway decent, you can make a Russian Stew. Brown the beef in butter and garlic.  Remove the beef.  In the same pan, caramelize the onion and brown the potato (cut up into rough cubes). Lower the heat, add grated carrots and the meat, and simmer with a little chicken stock (and a little white wine, if desired). Russians love butter, to don't be afraid to add a little more while simmering.

If the beef quality is not so great, brown it quickly over high heat in butter and olive oil and garlic. Remove the beef and caramelize the onion in the same pan.  Add the cubed potato and cubed carrot and brown.  If you have a western orange, add slices of orange peel and brown. You can do the same with mushrooms (shitake do quite well in this).  Lower the heat to barely simmer. Add back the beef and about 2 cups of a hearty red wine.  Season to your taste. You can even add the raisins here. Other possible additions would be orange slices, demi glace, a touch of catsup or tomato paste, or bullion. Cover and simmer for at least 4 hours or until the beef is tender.

Server over buttered egg noodles.

[Lickey]

Thanks James and Bonobo,the recipes you both posted are really mouthwatering stuff, so much better than a beef/veg curry or a beef casserole,

The diced beef pack is from Tesco/Lotus, had this many time before, and, yes, it will need 2hrs [after sealing] to make tender,

I have printed your recipes and will do 1 or both this weekend, will post pics and method too,

Thanks again, Lickey & Pan.

[bruceboy]

Looks good.

[Lickey]

Update,mmm, Saturday 1pm, cut the beef into 1/2 inch cubes, topped and tailed 2 garlic cloves,fineley chopped,same with a large onion, put all in a saucepan with oil and seared the meat, at first, i thought to much gar;ic, once happy with the searing of the beef, added water and brought to the boil, added a beef oxo cube, stirred in and then went of to farm leaving it on simmer for about 2 hours, Mrs checked the water level and topped up as ness,

I twisted my ankle on the farm and was in no mood for elaborate cooking, so what i done was grate half a carrott and a large potato into the mix, Mrs done some egg noddles, I thought i had put too much garlic in, but putting the mix on a bed of egg noddles was really delicious, not to spicy, just right and filling too,

Once i get my ankle untwisted, i will try your recipies as you describe,

Thanks again, Lickey.