Slow cooking activity with Kelly and Tim

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Yield: 6-8 servings

3 rashers of thick cut bacon
3 pounds beef chuck cubed
1 bottle red wine
1 pound onions chopped
1 pound celery chopped
1 pound carrots chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Brown the beef and bacon in batches in a frying pan and add to the
slow cooker. Discard the fat from the pan. Deglaze the pan with some
red wine and put in the slow cooker.

Add vegetables and enough wine to cover the everything in the slow
cooker. Add bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 8
hours.

We served it on top of thick, wide flat pasta. (YUM)

Grublover comment
Also try: BEER BRAISED PORK AND BLACK BEAN SOUP

For St Pat's day Tim is making GUINNESS STOUT BEEF STEW

Let us know how it goes Tim! Happy St Pat's day!!

Chicken in red wine and tomato sauce...recipe by Winsome

Serves 4


















olive oil
4 skinless chicken thighs, bone in
2 brown onions, cut into six wedges
8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Dust the chicken with salt and pepper.
Brown the chicken on all sides in olive oil in a pan big enough to take all the ingredients. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Turn down the heat and then add the onions and garlic and saute until golden.
Return the chicken to the pan and turn up to high.

Pour in the red wine vinegar and let it sizzle until reduced by at least half.

Add the stock and tomatoes. Make sure the chicken is fully covered by liquid, if not add a bit more stock or water. Bring back to a simmer.

Put a lid on the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 mins or until the chicken pulls away from the bone. If the sauce is looking a bit thin, remove the lid for part of the cooking time.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley and salt and pepper to serve.

Serve with mashed potato/rice/pasta and a green vegetable or salad - delicious.

Grublover comment
This is an adapted stephanie alexander recipe from her much loved book - The Cook's Companion.
I made this for the first time tonight, and it was simple and easy.
Most people would have these ingredients in the cupboard - so all you would need to buy is some chicken. Feel free to use different parts of the chicken, or a whole chicken, jointed. My favourite part is always the thigh, so that is why i used it here. It always gives a tender and juicy result, without much fuss about cooking times

Spiced lamb racks

1 Tbs fennel seeds

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp black peppercorns

1/3 cup greek style natural yoghurt

4 x 4 cutlet french trimmed lamb chops

Pound spices in p&m until ground.  Combine with yoghurt.

Season lamb racks with salt and coat with yoghurt mixture.  Chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Prehead oven to 200 C.  Heat oil in a large frypan and seal the lamb for 2 minutes each side.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes for medium.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with a crisp salad.

lazy bones balsamic chicken

It is really hard to get motivated to hit the shops after a long day at work. Today I just couldn't face it, so scratched around at home and came up with this scrumptious dish. Enjoy it on a Tuesday night.

Serves 4 (or in our case, a big helping for Dan and leftovers for lunch)

4 chicken thighs, diced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tb sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups couscous (dry)
2 1/4 cups boiling chicken stock
60g butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tb thyme

Combine the balsamic, stock, sugar and garlic. Rub into chicken and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.

Place the couscous in a bowl and pour in the boiling stock. Cover with glad wrap and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 3 minutes or until garlic is soft, but not brown. Add the couscous and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Heat an oiled fry-pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan, cooking 3-4 minutes. Add the marinade to the pan and cook for another 1 minutes or two until the chicken is cooked through and marinade is thicker.

Serve the chicken on the couscous and drizzle the jus over the meal. Serve with steamed green beans.

Grublover comment
Yum! This recipe is from Marie Claire's 'Fresh'. It is so easy and the best thing is everything you need is in the cupboard.
I used thighs because they are juicier and its a lot quicker to cook diced chicken. You can substitute for breast if you prefer - leave the breasts whole and cook 3-4 minutes each side.

Pork Chops with gnocchi and creamy sauce

2 pork chops, bash with mallet in bag to make thin
Fry in oil - 5 mins each side
Cook gnocchi
Take chops out

Pour into pan hot pan glassful cider
1 Tb grain mustard
Slosh in some cream (around 1/2 cup)
Stir - ends up being thin white sauce. don't have to cook for long.
Spoon sauce over chops

put gnocchi in pan with remaining sauce, stir and serve with pork chops

Chilli Con Carne - ole!

1 tbs peanut oil
1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs ground coriander
2 tsp cayenne pepper
600g lean beef mince
1 x 400g can Italian diced tomatoes
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 x 300g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
2 Tbs drained, chopped jalapeno chillies
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 x 250g carton light sour cream
3 green shallots, diagonally thinly sliced
handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves
rice, to serve

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until onion softens.

Add cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until it changes colour.

Stir in tomato, tomato paste and kidney beans. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in chilli. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, three-quarters of the green shallots and the coriander leaves in a small bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice and then chilli con carne into bowls. Top with a dollop of the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with remaining green shallots. Serve immediately.

Grublover comment
I just love chilli con carne. Good, warm, comfort food, and so delicious! You can serve it in baked potatoes for something different - like the stuffed spud that keeps me going back to the Royal Show every year....
This is a really easy recipe and you can whip it up quickly for a weeknight meal. It is also very healthy - provided you use lean mince and light sour cream.

The BEST Moussaka

Serves 4-6












3 medium eggplants
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
500g minced lamb
1/2 cup red wine
1 Tb tomato paste
1 cup tomato sugo
4 Tb freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tb lemon thyme
zest of one lemon, grated
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon, pounded
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cheese Sauce
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
1 and 1/4 cup full cream milk
1 cup chicken stock
Pinch grated nutmeg
2 Tb grated parmesan
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Crust
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 Tb chopped lemon thyme
1 Tb preserved lemon, skin only, finely chopped (use zest of one lemon as substitute)

Method
Cut eggplants into thin 1cm slices. Brush slices with oil, season with salt and into the oven at 250 C, or as hot as you can go, for 6-10 minutes or until golden.

Saute onion at moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Put onion and garlic aside.

Salt and brown meat in batches at a high heat. Make sure it is hot and you don't overload the pan - you don't want to "boil" the meat.

Put all the meat back into the pan, add cinnamon, then the onion and garlic, tomato paste, deglaze with wine at a high temperature.

Turn temperature down and add lemon zest, tomato sugo, parsley, lemon thyme, and simmer for 20 minutes for flavour to combine. It should be quite a dry sauce.

To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and sprinkle the flour over it, stirring well to combine. Continue to cook for a little while until the flour colours slightly and loses the raw flavour. Remove from the heat and slowly add the milk, then the stock, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Return the pot to the heat and continue to cook until thickened - stirring hard until the sauce thickly coats the back of the spoon. Add the nutmeg and seasoning and lay some glad wrap over the sauce so it doesn't form a skin.

Layer the moussaka by first spraying a deep oven proof dish with non-stick cooking spray or evoo. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom, then a layer of mince. Continue to layer eggplant and mix, finishing with a layer of eggplant. Pour the cheese sauce over the eggplant, then mix the crumb ingredients together and generously sprinkle this over the bechamel.

Bake in a pre-heated 200 degree C oven for half an hour.

Grublover comment
This recipe is from the Cook and the Chef. It is like a Greek lasagne and is absolutely delicious. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon flavours are very important so don't skip these ingredients. Delicious.

Cumin-roasted chicken with red capsicum jam

Serves 4

2 tsp ground cumin
2 and 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 x 1.6kg free-range chicken, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1/4 cup dry sherry

For the jam
1 onion, finely choped
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground allspice
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 red capsicums, deseeded and finely diced
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
100ml sherry vinegar
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup italian parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 220C.

Mix the ground cumin with the salt and dried oregano and rub into the chicken quarters.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a heavy-based baking tray and brown the chicken with the onion slices.

Pour over the sherry and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Fry the chopped onion in 3 Tbsp olive oil with the paprika and allspice until softened. Stir through the capsicum and chilli and fry for 2 minutes before adding the soft brown sugar, sherry vinegar, tinned tomatoes and 1 tsp salt.

Simmer for 15-30 minutes until of a thick and jammy consistency.

Leave the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving with teh red capsicum jam, garnished with the roughly chopped Italian parsley.


Grublover comment
This savoury red capsicum jam recipe makes more than enough for one good meal. It would be delicious served with fish or steak.
Mum made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. Serve with a crisp green salad. Yum!
Recipe by Sophie Zalokar.

Lamb Fillet

Serves 2

200g (one fillet) lamb fillet

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 small tub low fat yoghurt

1 x 400g can chick peas, drained

1/2 red onion, sliced finely

2 tomatoes (or 10-15 cherry tomatoes), chopped into cubes

1/2 large cucumber, chopped into cubes

1 lemon

1 clove garlic

handful fresh mint

Mix the coriander and cumin with half of the yoghurt and rub into the meat. Leave to marinate for 1 hour and go for a walk or a swim!

To make the salad combine the chick peas, onion, tomato and cucumber. It is good to chop all of these ingredients around the same size or a little larger than the chick peas (except the onion which should be sliced finely). Squeeze a lemon over the top of the salad and rip the mint up into it. Season and toss to combine.

Crush the garlic clove into the yoghurt, add a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cumin for flavour.

Take the fillet and cook on a very hot grill pan (you can use the flat or the grill side, but the pan must be really hot. you don't want it to stew). Cook for around 3-4 minutes each side.

Take the meat off and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat and serve with a dollop of yoghurt and some salad. The meat should be tender and pink in the centre.

Grublover comment

This is such an easy, cheap, low-fat and delicious meal. Winner all round. Last night I got home, raced to the butcher and bought the lamb for just $12 and then whipped this up using things in the cupboard. It tasted delicious. Make sure you have a nice hot grill pan to cook it on, and the bbq would be even better.

Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6



80ml olive oil
2 large onions, grated
4 garlic cloves, garted
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1kg minced lamb
100g mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tb tomato puree
250mL chicken stock
100mL red wine
large dash worcestershire sauce
1 Tb thyme, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped

For the mashed potato topping:
1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled
150g butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 egg yolks
50g parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil

Pre- heat the oven to 200°C.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onions, garlic carrots until golden. Season then add the rosemary, cook for approx 5 minutes. In a separate pan cook the minced meat until browned, add the thyme leaves, stirring constantly to break up the meat and ensure it cooks evenly. When the mince is browned, remove from the pan and place on a lined plate to remove excess fat, add the mushrooms to this pan and sauté for approx 5 minutes or until lightly golden.

Add the tomato puree and the cooked mince to the carrots and onions pour over the red wine and reduce by approx half. Season with a little salt and pepper then add the stock and a good dash of Worcestershire sauce. Gently simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the meat is cooked and the mixture has thickened. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof serving dish.

Boil the potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes until softened. Drain and cover with a lid to steam ‘dry’ and reduce any excess moisture. Add the butter and egg yolks and mash thoroughly, grate half the parmesan into the potato and mix well. Don’t allow the potato to become too wet or they won’t crisp up nicely in the oven. Season.

Spoon the potato mixture over the meat, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden.

Grublover comment
Last night I got into Gordon Ramsay’s show ‘the F Word’ and he made a few really quick, simple recipes that looked delicious. I love cooking where quantities and time doesn’t matter so much so I can quickly knock something up without thinking and measuring.

Gordon Ramsay's Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint and Goats Cheese

Another delicious and simple meal Gordon Ramsay made was this beautiful roast leg of lamb.




2.7kg Legs of Lamb (boned and butterflied)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
olive oil (for drizzling)
large handful of mint
firm goat’s cheese, half frozen
6 cloves garlic, grated
few sprigs of rosemary
twine

Preheat oven to 220 C.

Put the lamb on a board and open it out. Season with salt and pepper. Rub with olive oil. Scatter the inside generously with fresh mint leaves, rubbing the leaves into the meat.

Grate the goats cheese and then garlic over the lamb.

Roll the lamb up to form a nice long sausage shape. Secure the joint in place with some kitchen string at 3-4cm intervals. Tuck some rosemary sprigs under the knots of string around the lamb.

Scatter baking tray with some sprigs of rosemary and lay the lamb on top. Season and drizzle with olive oil.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 190 C and continue to roast, allowing 20 minutes per 450g, basting every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let to rest.

Cut in thick slices and serve with mint and lemon vinaigrette.

Mint and lemon vinaigrette
6 Tb olive oil
handful of mint, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Pour oil into a small mixing bowl. Add the mint and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the lemon juice, until emulsified.

Lamb backstrap

Last night I wanted something quick and easy to go with some simple roast veges.

Lamb backstrap was the perfect solution. I bought enough for two (one long strip) for about $14, rubbed it with some salt, rosemary, garlic and olive oil, heated up the pan and fried it for about 5 minutes each side.

I then sliced the lamb and served it with the veges and a salsa made from apple, red onion, garlic and lemon juice.

Delicious.

The meat itself is really tender and delicious - and can be cooked in so many different ways.

How good is Steak!!

Steak is such a simple and scrummy meal and there is 1000 ways you can jazz it up so it is better than restaurant quality.

Here is what I did last night after buying a porterhouse on the way home and using whatever was lying around...

Brush 1 teaspoon of olive oil into the steak and rub in some tuscan seasoning (you can make your own tuscan seasoning by chopping some rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper, or just use the Masterfoods one) and chilli flakes if you like it hot.

Heat a griddle pan (the ones with the lines) and put the steak on. Slice some tomatoes and whack those on too. Add some capers and a few marinated olives. Pour a splash of worschestire sauce over the top and enjoy the beautiful aromas.

In the meantime cook some veges in boiling water - last night I had some asparagus - I like to cook asparagus al dente - make sure it's still crunchy and bright green.

Cook steak to your liking, remove from heat and rest.

Place tomato, capers and olive mixture on steak, serve with the veges.

Grublover comment
This is the easiest meal and is ready in less than 10 minutes. Hassle free and tastes absolutely delicious.

The pic is of my Le Creusset griddle pan - one of my favourite items in the kitchen. It is also fantastic for cooking healthy grilled veges!

Middle Eastern Lamb on Chickpea and Tomato Salad

Serves 4

4 x 150g lamb backstrap fillets
2 cups low fat Natural Yoghurt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 green capsicum, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
1/4 cup oil-free Italian Salad Dressing
1 clove garlic, crushed

Marinate lamb fillets in a combination of 1 cup yoghurt, 1 tsp cumin and coriander for minimum of 1 hour.

Combine chickpeas, capsicum, tomatoes, onion, mint and dressing in a bowl.

Stir together 1 cup yoghurt, garlic and 1 tsp cumin in a bowl.

Pan-fry lamb fillets in a non-stick pan over medium heat or until cooked through.

Place salad onto four serving plates and top with sliced lamb fillets. Finish with a generous dollop of yoghurt.

Grublover comment
This is similar to Jess' moroccan chicken and is equally simple and delicious, but uses one of my favourite meats, the lovely lamb.

You could also try serving this dish with couscous - see Jess' Cheat Moroccan Chicken.

Mustard-stuffed chicken

Serves 4

125g ball reduced fat mozzarella , torn into small pieces
50g strong reduced fat cheddar, grated
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
8 lean middle bacon rashers

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C.

Mix the cheeses and mustard together.

Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast, then stuff with the mustard mixture.

Wrap each stuffed chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers - not too tightly, but enough to hold the chicken together.

Season, place on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 mins.

Shredded thai chicken salad

Serves 2

4 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 limes , juiced
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 small red onion , halved and finely sliced
2 cooked skinless chicken breasts , shredded
½ small white cabbage , shredded
2 large carrot , shredded
2 red chillies , shredded
a small bunch mint , roughly chopped

Combine the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar then put in a bowl with the onions.

Toss and leave for 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.

Sticky sweet sesame drumsticks

Serves 4

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
8 skinless chicken drumsticks
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Mix together soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and ginger in a gallon zip lock bag.

Add chicken drumsticks, squeeze out air, and seal the bag. Turn chicken to coat and let marinate for 2-24 hours in refridgerator.

Preheat oven to 400. Line roasting pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Spread sesame seeds on plate.

Remove chicken from marinade. Discard leftover marinade. Dip each drumstick in the sesame seeds to coat on one side.

Place seeded-side up in the roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Grublover comment
A sticky sweet drumstick. Serve with white rice and mixed vegetables.

This recipe is from the weight watchers booklet "five & under" (I got some surprisingly good recipes from these books when I was on a health kick).

Steak & chickpea salad with harissa yogurt dressing

Serves 2

400g tin chickpeas
½ red onion , sliced
100g cherry tomatoes , halved
a small bunch flat-leaf parsley , chopped
about 200g sirloin steak , trimmed of all fat
150ml natural yogurt
2 tbsp harissa
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon

Toss together the chickpeas, red onion, tomatoes and parsley. Season the steak well and cook for 1.5 minutes each side then rest for 5 minutes.

Mix the yoghurt with the harissa, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Slice the steak, toss with the chickpeas and serve drizzled with the yoghurt.

Grublover comment
This is a delicious and easy weeknight meal, ready in 15 minutes. It is low in fat and low gi. Recipe from olive magazine.

Stir fried Chicken with Basil

Serves 4

4 chicken thighs, cut into cubes
2 Tb vege oil
2 Tb ginger, finely chopped
2-3 chillies
1 Tb garlic, crushed
2 Tb palm sugar, grated or sliced up if hard
2 Tb fish sauce
big handful basil leaves, Thai or common, roughly shredded
coriander leaves
extra sliced chilli for garnish
steamed rice

Heat a wok to very hot and then add the oil.

Add the ginger, chllies and garlic and cook for just a few seconds - do not burn these or your dish will be ruined.

Add the chicken and stir fry that until it is just cooked and coloured. You may need to do this in two lots if you don’t have good heat as you don’t want it to stew.
Add the palm sugar and the fish sauce and cook until the whole lot looks sticky.

Stir through the basil leaves and serve garnished with the coriander leaves and extra chilli.

Serve with the steamed rice.

Grublover comment
This is another really easy, healthy weeknight dinner for which I usually have all the supplies on hand.  It is especially nice in the summertime when we have an abundance of fresh basil in the backyard.

Roasted lamb rack with mash

Serves 4

1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, crushed
12 small lean lamb loin chop or cutlet, (2 x 6 cutlet racks of lamb)
1/2 whole stock cube, dissolved in 1/2 cup (125ml) hot water
400 g parsnip, peeled, cut into chunks
400 g potato, peeled, cut into chunks
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp cumin seed
400 g fresh green beans, ends trimmed, steamed

Combine oil, lemon rind, thyme and garlic in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place lamb racks in a non-stick baking tray and spoon over marinade. Massage marinade into meat using clean hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 210°C. Place lamb in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place parsnips and potatoes in a medium saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain well and return to same saucepan. Use a potato masher or hand-held wand blender to mash or process vegetables until smooth. Add milk and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Continue to mash for a further minute or until well combined.

Transfer lamb to a chopping board and set aside. Meanwhile, add stock to baking tray and place over high heat. Bring liquid to the boil, scraping pan as you are doing it. Cook for 5 minutes or until you have a sauce consistency. Carve lamb racks into 3 cutlets per person and serve with mash and beans.

Grublover comment
This is a quick and easy weeknight meal that is low in fat and high in flavour.

WW Points
7 points per serve.