Spicy Beef Casserole

The weather has turned ! After a glorious May of sun filled days and low to mid twenties temperatures, winter has finally arrived. Cold wind and snow on the alps, our minds turn to warm comfort food, stews braises and casseroles.
This beef casserole is quick easy and adaptable. The slow cooking guarantees tender meat and a rich sauce. It can be made the day before and will probably taste the better for it.
You can add vegetables or peppers and chilli for a bit of variety.


1 kg Beef chuck or blade
Rylstone Olive Oil
2 onions finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1 cinnamon stick
zested rind of an orange
440 can tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
700 mls beef stock
S&P to taste


Heat the oven to slow 160C
Chop the beef not too small, 2 inch cubes.
Heat the oil in a covered ovenproof casserole dish .
Add the beef and cook in batches until just coloured, keeping the temperature on medium to high. Remove and set aside.
Add the onions and garlic to the pot and cook until just translucent.
Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and all the spices and stir through.
Bring to a simmer before returning the beef to the pot.
Place into the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove give it a stir and add the orange zest. Return to oven for approx another hour or until meat is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. All ovens vary so cooking time is only a guide.
The cut of meat usually determines the cooking time, but the cheaper cuts are best and do require at least 2 hours cooking .

Spicy Beef Casserole

Poached Pears in White Wine and Vanilla

Pears are in season now and are the most beautiful dessert. They are easy and light and with the addition of the sweet syrup just enough to satisfy.
I am not a fan of heavy desserts, particularly in winter after a usually hearty main.
They can be poached the day before, or the morning of, if entertaining.
Serve them with whipped cream, ice cream, mascarpone sweetened with a little icing sugar, cream and lemon curd for a change and an almond tule or crostini. In fact any crunchy little biscuit would be yum. Chocolate sauce is also a beautiful addition if you want something richer.
Great cleansing dessert after a spicy Thai or Indian, not traditional of course, but perfect just the same.
You must use a vanilla bean, no vanilla essence, it is never the same.


6  firm unripe pears ( I like brown bosc ) choose pretty shaped fruit that stands up if you can, with stalk intact
2 cups water
2 cups white wine
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out
zest of a lemon

Peel pears with a vegetable peeler leaving the stalk .
Simmer all of the above ingredients until the sugar has dissolved and stand the pears upright in the liquid. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. About  1 1/2 to 2 hours for the cooking time is good, but it will vary depending on the variety and ripeness of the pears.  It will take at least 30 minutes and if you have pears that are ripe and feel they are cooked or starting to fall apart remove from the syrup and let the syrup reduce down a little more.
Top up with more water if necessary.
The syrup can be used to poach any fruit and can be kept in the refrigerator in a clean glass jar for months.

Ginger and Coconut Slice

A winter afternoon favourite, with a cup of tea. I hadn't made this for years and made it recently for a day at the country picnic races. Perfect for the occasion and easily transportable.
The icing can vary and this makes it taste a little different each time.
I have used lemon and orange juice to the icing. Whilst the ginger isn't a strong taste, you could put some small slithers of glace ginger into the icing if you love the ginger element . Its old fashioned and delicious.
It very quick to make only 20 minutes in a moderate oven, no excuse !!! Easily doubled.


100 grams butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3/4 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Icing

1 1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons butter
a couple of tablespoons of either orange or lemon juice
zest of whichever fruit used

Melt the butter and golden syrup together and leave to cool slightly.
Place all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add the egg. Mix together with the butter, golden syrup mixture. It should come together as a soft dough.
Line a square baking tray with Glad Bake and press the mixture evenly into the tin.
Bake at 170 for 20 minutes.
Melt the butter for the icing and blend with the icing sugar and juice. Use as much juice as you need to blend it together, so as its not too runny.
Remove and ice when cool.  Garnish with zest. Slice and serve

Red Curry of Vegetable Soup

This is so easy, filling and delicious. Perhaps not an authentic Thai dish, but if you have all the ingredients which you will do if you are a fan of Thai food, it takes no time at all to make.
I served it with a dollop of yoghurt and some pappadams for a change, definitely not Thai !
A great hearty meal for a winter Sunday night.
Play around with the vegetables, but use a starchy one as it will help thicken the soup.


2 cups chicken stock ( vegetable is fine too )
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped into smallish even pieces
1 large zucchini sliced and quartered
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
handful of chopped coriander
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
plain yoghurt
Lime leaves, finely sliced
pappadams
Rylstone olive oil

Fry the curry paste in the oil until fragrant.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and stir until translucent. Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and combine together.
Add the sweet potato first and simmer gently until nearly cooked. Then add the zucchini and chopped coriander. Lastly add the seasoning, brown sugar, fish sauce and salt. Taste and adjust if necessary.
As the vegetables are cooking the liquid will thicken. Simmer gently until all vegetables are soft.
If you feel its too thick add some more stock, too thin, cook a little longer.
Serve with yoghurt and poppadoms and garnish with lime slices.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

These tasty morsels are a treat for all the family. Basically a fancy way to serve chicken, perhaps a bit of work involved but they look fabulous and go along way.
You can use tenderloins, breast or thigh. I prefer thigh because they are a moister cut of meat, better for barbequing. You could also use beef or pork for a change.
The peanut sauce recipe makes about 2 cups, so you can make quite a few satays to go with it.
The meat I also prefer to be cut in longer thinner strips, before threading onto the skewers.
If you choose the buy your meat already cut in cubes, give them a gentle bash with a meat mallet to flatten slightly. If you don't  they can take a long time to cook all the way through.
Westerners seem to prefer to use peanut butter to crushed peanuts. I have used both methods. The peanut butter version is thicker and creamier, the crushed nuts a little crunchy and lighter in consistency

1 kilo Chicken thigh fillets thinly sliced
Wooden skewers ( soaked in water to stop them burning )
1/2 cup Coconut milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped Lemongrass
1 tablespoon Turmeric powder
1 tablespoon Coriander powder


Peanut Sauce

1 cup unsalted peanuts
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind puree ( you may use lemon juice )
3 tablespoons sweet thai chilli sauce or chilli powder to taste
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup water


Alternative Peanut sauce

1 cup  crunchy peanut butter
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon tamarind puree
2 tablespoons Red Thai Curry Paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup water

Slice the thigh fillets thinly. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together some salt. Place the sliced chicken into a plastic bag with the coconut milk mix and leave to marinate for at least an hour. This could also be done the night before.

Thread onto the wooden skewers at one end  leaving more than half free to keep from the flame of the barbecue.

Sauce
Which ever sauce you like the look of.....
Place the ingredients into a food processor all together and blend. You can keep any left over in a screw top jar in the fridge. You may need to add some more water when reheating to serve.
Also fabulous with noodles. Play around with the ingredients for alternatives.

Peanut Sauce made with fresh peanuts 

Peanut Sauce made with Peanut Butter

My Favourite Restaurants in Bangkok

For those of you who are visiting Bangkok, there are so many wonderful restaurants to enjoy. The eating scene is amazing and the variety huge. If you choose to look on Trip advisor many of the top rated restaurants listed are not necessarily Thai. Taking groups there for a food experience is about eating the food of Thailand, from the street food to the upmarket, it is varied, delicious and so inexpensive.
Interestingly for me when I analyse my favourites the chefs have all spent time outside of Thailand and perhaps the dishes are a little more Asian fusion.
Many of the dishes on menus here are not even on the menu in these restaurants. If they are it is a very different slant on a concept.
If you are having a stopover on the way to or from Europe, stay and enjoy this exciting city and the myriad of things that are on offer there.

Soul Food Manakorn

The chef Jarred Wrisley spent time in the States and opened this small but fabulous restaurant and cocktail bar in an old shophouse in Thonglor.
Small plates, the best way to enjoy the dishes in most Thai restaurants is to share and then you can sample all the delights on offer.
Southern Style Samosas, Sticky Tamarind Ribs and Burmese Pork Belly to name a few of my favourite dishes. There are also seasonal specials on offer and fabulous cocktails.

BTS Thong Lo (Train )
56/10 Soi Thonglor
Sukhumvit 55


Paste

This visit was my first time to this restaurant and we went twice.
The chef operated a restaurant in NSW Australia before returning to Thailand with his Thai wife to open Paste. The food is a mix from different regions of Thailand
Delicious, everything is very good and the cocktails are irresistible.
Try the Paste My Thai vodka with spicy chilli mint and ginger ! Yum
Try Crispy Rice Crackers with Prawn Pork and Candy Relish
Tamarind and Caramel Twice Cooked Kurobuta Pork Belly
Crispy Free Range Duck with Northern Thai Makhween Pepper drizzled with Orange and Star Anise
Innovative and creative cuisine.

120/6 Soi Song Phi Nong
Sukhumvit 49


Issaya Siamese Club

I love this restaurant and have recommended it to many people. It is the home for internationally renowned Ian Kittichai. It is set in a beautiful 90 year old  Indo Portugese Thai villa with a tropical garden in central Bangkok.
The whole concept is lovely and the restaurant is listed in Asias top 50. There is  a private dining room upstairs and large indoor and outdoor verandas downstairs. The food is a mixture of classic and modern presented with charm and the culinary flair you would expect from Ian Kittichai. Service is impeccable and all the staff speak very good english. Too many great eats to list here, but a must for your visit to Bangkok.

4 Soi Sri Aksorn
Chua Ploeng Rd
Sathorn


Nahm

Also listed on top 50 Asia, and the top 50 in the World, this restaurant is another fabulous must go to. The  Australian born, chef David Thompson, owned and operated Darley Street Thai in Sydney in the early 90's which won him Best Thai Restaurant for 8 years and Sailors Thai in the Rocks in 1995.He then embarked on Nahm London which won him a coveted Michelin award, the only Thai restaurant to win this award. Nahm Bangkok, was opened four years ago and continues to be of a consistently high standard.
A mix of  ancient traditional  and modern Thai recipes, with again beautiful fresh produce with some different ingredients this food is for serious gourmets. Robust flavours with lots of spice for those who love their Thai. It is situated in the very chic Metropolitan Hotel, which all adds to the sophistication of the space and experience.


Metropolitan Hotel
27 South Sathorn Rd
Thung Maha Mek
Sathorn

Fabulous Food Tour to Thailand

Images from the temple wall

We have just returned from another fabulous food tour of Thailand. A wonderful group who all added in their own unique way to the fun and frivolity. We returned to my favourite cooking schools and learnt the secrets to the sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavours that make Thai food distinctive. All ingredients, we are very lucky to source in our country, unfortunately not at the same cheap price.
Unless we shop at the market, the quality and freshness are appalling compared to the standard there.
The lack of packing and presentation of product is amazing in all the different markets we went to.

  

 Totally inspiring to go and cook ! Eat well for not a lot of money. Some of the produce available is not so tempting!

Red Ant Lava tastes like custard

We wandered alleys and lanes sampling lots of different foods from China India and Thailand which is a great way to learn the multicultural history of early Thailand. Each new taste was embraced by all
and each new experience captured our hearts and imagination. Culture was included and shopping added to the whole adventure. Cooking classes were wonderful and made all the more  entertaining  because of the gorgeous Thai chefs teaching us with a great sense of humour in their broken english.
A great time was had by all and we have come back with many happy memories, new friends and a new appreciation of Thai food .
Really looking forward to the next trip.

Entrance to the cooking school

Roast Shoulder of Pork with Orange and Honey

We all love a roast, I particularly love a roast pork and I don't think it is very hard to mess up the cooking of it. Not complete with out the crackling of course. Pork is no longer the NO NO of meat.
It is the other white meat and is leaner than ever before. Pork has less calories than beef but not as much protein. The fat on pork tends to be on the outside, so you can remove it. Although, the shoulder is not the leanest cut, it is needed for this long cook as still remains succulent.
This recipe was inspired from an Ottolenghi meal.
This is a lovely combination of flavours and very easy. The herbs give it a great flavour and the sauce is sweet and goes beautifully with the meat. In fact the sauce has become a bit of a favourite in our home.



2 kilo shoulder of pork
7 stalks fresh rosemary
8 cloves garlic
2 cm piece ginger
2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
2 teaspoons sea salt
Rylstone Olive oil
5 oranges
250 ml white wine
500 ml orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


Put the rosemary, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, sea salt and olive oil in a food processor and
process until well chopped

Open the pork out and smother the meat with the herb mixture.
Tie the pork up with kitchen twine in about four places.
Pat the skin dry and salt well.
Preheat oven to 250C.

Cut the oranges in half and place them on the bottom of a baking dish. Place the pork on top and put into the oven for an hour until the skin is nicely crackled. Don't worry at this stage if it needs a little more. Lower the temperature to 180 and pour the wine into the bottom of the baking dish, but not over the crackling. Cook a further hour, if you feel the top is getting burnt cover with foil, but it shouldn't unless your oven is really hot.
Lower the temperature again to 160C and cook a further 1/2 hour.
Meanwhile place the juice, honey and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and heat until reduced by half.
Serve the pork with a orange half, they are cooked but still juicy. Pour the orange and honey sauce over the sliced meat.
Serve this dish with traditional vegetables if liked. I served it with eggplant and feta and minted peas.

San Choy Bau

A little bit more on an Asian theme. This dish has origins in China and Thailand and I am not sure who has ownership.Whoever, it is an interesting question . Thai have the Larb or Larp which is also a delicious mince dish
Traditionally the dish uses chicken or pork mince cooked with all the extras and served in an iceberg lettuce cup. This can be folded or rolled for consumption.
Light and delicious, experiment with herbs and flavours each time you cook it.
The  original San Choy Bau would usually have water chestnuts, but I used shitake mushrooms instead. Any variety of mushroom would be a good substitute. Roasted peanuts are quite suitable instead of water chestnuts, as they add a little crunch. It is not usually chilli hot, but Larb does tend to have chilli in it, so try it with chilli if desired.


500 gram chicken mince
6 shitake  dried mushrooms
3 finely chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves finely chopped or minced
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cm piece fresh ginger
1/2 cup freshly chopped coriander
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped  water chestnuts or roasted peanuts ( water chestnuts are available in tins at most supermarkets in the Asian section
Peanut oil ( I still would use my Rylstone olive oil )
Iceberg lettuce

Remove the outer leaves of the lettuce and discard. When you get to the lovely paler crisp inner leaves gently pull apart and set aside. These are already in " cup shapes " You will need about 8.
Soak the mushrooms in water until soft. Chop finely.
Fry the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil, until transparent . Add the mince and cook until all coloured. Add the oyster  and soy sauces and stir through. Add chopped coriander, shallots and nuts.
Spoon into lettuce cups and place the bean sprouts on top and serve.
Delicious and done in 10 minutes.

Want Food Tour to Thailand 2014 and Vietnam 2015

We are 4 weeks from setting off on another wonderful culinary and cultural adventure to Thailand.
I am sure the group will have just as much fun as the last. As they say in Thailand " same same but different."

Lots of wonderful experiences to share with family and friends. Amazing taste sensations
and new recipes to cherish and cook . All done with lots of spoonfuls of laughter of course !
Bangkok for 7 nights and Chiang Mai for 3 nights.

Two vastly different cities, but the same beautiful people and produce. Everyone is getting excited and looking forward to the trip, tailor made for Want Food Ideas !!

I am also planning a very exciting culinary trip to Vietnam for March 2015. Similar itinerary, smallish group and approx 10 days. We will visit Ho Chi Min, Hanoi and Hoi An  and learn about their way of life and to cook their wonderful cuisine.

If you are interested in this trip please contact me and I will send you the details as they are finalised which probably won't be until later in the year.