30 days / 30 things Day 14

A sleb chef recipe today. I guess I have to be careful after my comments about some sleb chefs but I am sticking resolutely to Delia for this one.

Whatever I have said before I do love Delia and her recipes are generally very reliable. This one is a family favourite passed down to me from my Mum who swears by it. It's also very in keeping with the weather we're having currently. This rainy, cold and windy weather always makes me want to cook stews and casseroles.

DELIA'S BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
serves 4-6

900g braising steak cubed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion sliced

1 heaped tablespoon flour

425ml red wine

2 cloves garlic

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

350g shallots

260g cubed pancetta

100g dark gilled mushrooms sliced

salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 140C

Heat 1 1/4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy based casserole dish

Sear the beef a few pieces at a time until brown and then remove to a plate

Then add the sliced onion and quickly brown that too

Add the meat back to the pan and sprinkle over the flour so it absorbs any juices

Next add the wine, herbs, garlic and seasoning. Put a lid on the casserole and cook for 2 hours

Using a bit more olive oil colour the shallots and bacon before adding to the casserole with the mushrooms

Cook for another hour

Delia suggests potatoes boulangere and a green salad but I often do mash and green beans instead. I am almost salivating reading this, it is utterly beyond gorgeous !

Beef and cashew stir fry

I knew this was a hit when my husband announced "If I got that in a restaurant I'd be happy" which from him is praise indeed.

This is a recipe from Good Food mag that I've adapted - as is my thing ! It's fairly diet friendly but helped by me cutting the amount of oil suggested. I think  also next time I make it I might add in some fresh red chilli to give it a bit of a kick.

STIR FRY BEEF WITH CASHEW NUTS
Serves 2

3 tbsp sherry
2tbsp soy sauce
1tsp sugar
1 tbsp flavourless oil (groundnut or sunflower)
1 red onion thinly sliced
300g beef steak - I used rump steak - thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic crushed
50g roasted cashew nuts
200g broccoli florets
Rice or noodles to serve

Mix the first 3 ingredients and set aside
Heat 1/2 the oil in a wok and briefly stir fry the beef, onion and garlic
Remove to a plate
Add the remaining oil and heat before adding the broccoli. Stir fry for 1 minute
Add the sherry and soy sauce mixture, cover the pan and leave to bubble for approx 5 mins or until the broccoli is tender
Put the beef and onion back in the pan and heat through and finally add the cashews to keep their crunch
Serve with rice or noodles