I'm a big fan of stew - because you can cook it in advance and then it's there for when you don't feel like cooking. However, I am not a big fan of the price of beef in the UK. It was great when we went to France a few weeks ago, I bought stewing beef (neck/collar) - which works like shin (jarret) and some stewing veal for about half what they'd cost here. This is because in the UK we have just discovered the cheaper cuts and thus they are no longer cheaper. The French have always known about them. When we first came to Ramsgate I remember butchers selling pork belly strips for 99p per pound - so about £2.20 a kg. That was 12 years ago - pork belly is now about £5.99 a kg - I think this is a much higher rate of inflation than say, wheat products etc.
This stew was made from some "braising steak". I do not buy this often (a) because it isn't as nice as shin (b) because it's more expensive - so why would you? However it was reduced to £3.79/kg so I bought some. I fried it in oil and it soon began to release a quantity of liquid which had a suspiciously vinegary smell. I have had this experience before with UK supermarket beef - I don't like it. The beef was also chopped into tiny pieces - to speed cooking I suppose. Then I added some red wine, chopped onions, celery and carrots, bay leaves and rosemary, a tiny pot of stock and some water, and a lot of peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes. It cooked very quickly - and this morning I tried a taste and lo, it was good!
If I'd had any I might have added some salt pork, because this sort of beef is a little dry often. If I hadn't had a fussy male I would have put more wine in, some orange peel more rosemary and thyme and some black olives and done it au provencale but I didn't. Anyway, we will have it tonight with pommes etuvees so here's a bonus:
Take a quantity of small new potatoes, cleaned but not peeled; chop if they are larger. Take a saucepan with a tight fitting lid - put in a large lump of butter, the potatoes and some fine salt, add garlic/rosemary/mint or other herbs. Cook over a low heat, shaking regularly - don't open unless you smell burning. Cook for about 20-25 mins, shaking regularly! Serve at once.
What I ate
We went out for a late lunch, by 8 pm I wasn't really hungry, but I did the stew and spuds for the men - and drank some vin d'orange and ate some salted pecans. They enjoyed the stew - especially F who is making new discoveries about tomatoes...I ate a small sliver of the chocolate cake afterwards, not really a healthy meal, but at least I ate less.
This stew was made from some "braising steak". I do not buy this often (a) because it isn't as nice as shin (b) because it's more expensive - so why would you? However it was reduced to £3.79/kg so I bought some. I fried it in oil and it soon began to release a quantity of liquid which had a suspiciously vinegary smell. I have had this experience before with UK supermarket beef - I don't like it. The beef was also chopped into tiny pieces - to speed cooking I suppose. Then I added some red wine, chopped onions, celery and carrots, bay leaves and rosemary, a tiny pot of stock and some water, and a lot of peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes. It cooked very quickly - and this morning I tried a taste and lo, it was good!
If I'd had any I might have added some salt pork, because this sort of beef is a little dry often. If I hadn't had a fussy male I would have put more wine in, some orange peel more rosemary and thyme and some black olives and done it au provencale but I didn't. Anyway, we will have it tonight with pommes etuvees so here's a bonus:
Take a quantity of small new potatoes, cleaned but not peeled; chop if they are larger. Take a saucepan with a tight fitting lid - put in a large lump of butter, the potatoes and some fine salt, add garlic/rosemary/mint or other herbs. Cook over a low heat, shaking regularly - don't open unless you smell burning. Cook for about 20-25 mins, shaking regularly! Serve at once.
What I ate
We went out for a late lunch, by 8 pm I wasn't really hungry, but I did the stew and spuds for the men - and drank some vin d'orange and ate some salted pecans. They enjoyed the stew - especially F who is making new discoveries about tomatoes...I ate a small sliver of the chocolate cake afterwards, not really a healthy meal, but at least I ate less.
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