This week’s recipe for Babotie is from South African and is well worth trying.   The recipe makes enough for a good family meal (and maybe leftovers).

Babotie

• 1 slice day-old bread      
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large onions, chopped               
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 kg mince
• 1 cup sultanas
• ½ cup blanched almonds, chopped (or other nuts if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• ½ cup chutney (or a bit more if you really like chutney)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon curry powder (can leave this out if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a 2 litre baking dish. Place the bread in a shallow dish, and pour the milk over it allowing it to soak in.   Brown the onions and garlic in oil in a frypan, stir in curry powder and cook for another minute or so.  Set aside to cool.  Combine the mince, sultanas, almonds, lemon juice, chutney and one egg in a large bowl. Squeeze excess milk from the slice of bread, and add the bread to the meat mixture; reserve the remaining milk. Season with sugar, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add the onions to the meat, and mix until well combined. Put the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and level the top.

Bake for about an hour. Beat the remaining egg with the remaining milk, and pour evenly over the top of the loaf. Return it to the oven, and continue baking until the custard has set and the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

San Choy Bow

A classic simple but tasty asian dish. This recipe is good for 4 hungry people:

1 kg pork mince (you could use pork pieces but would have them cut into small pieces)

Tablespoon of minced ginger and garlic

1 onion or 2-3 spring onions (spring onions best), sliced

Soy sauce (about half a cup)

Can of water chestnuts, chopped (discard brine)

Optional:   bamboo shoots

Chopped fresh coriander or parsley

Iceburg lettuce leaves, washed and drained which are used as cups to hold mince mixture.  If you have time, pop these in the freezer for 10-20 minutes to crisp up, the icy crunchiness adds to the dish.

Brown the mince, onion, garlic and ginger in a frying pan in oil (sesame oil is great otherwise normal oil is fine) until lightly browned.    Add the chestnuts and bamboo shoots and stirfry for a further few minutes.  Lastly add soy sauce, and salt and pepper and finally the chopped herbs.    Spoon some of the mixture into the lettuce cups and serve.  No knives and forks required!   For those that like a bit more of a bite, you can add sweet chilli sauce towards the end as well.  

Carpaccio

The key to good carpaccio is to have the best beef (which you get from us) and have very thin slices. You can either serve the beef carpaccio totally raw, or alternatively roll the fillet in mustard and black pepper then sear (cook quickly) for just a minute on each side to form a crust. Let it cool if you have seared it. Wrap it tightly in cling film and put in freezer for an hour – this makes it easier to slice. You’ll need a sharp knife. Drizzle pureed garlic, basil, lemon juice and olive oil over it and serve immediately as an entree.

Cooking Whole Fillets

Cooking fillets whole makes a spectacular main course. First rub the beef with the olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and let this rest at room temperature for an hour. The meat cooks more evenly when it is at room temperature. Sear your beef in a hot pan. Let it cool. You can do this some time in advance if you prefer. Pat over some freshly chopped flat leaf parsley & oregano or other herbs of your choice including garlic if you like. Place the beef in a roasting dish, pour over a little olive oil and brandy (or red wine) and roast in a hot oven until cooked to your liking. We recommend medium rare which would take about 25-30 minutes for your average side whole fillet. Rest the meat for at least 10 – 15 minutes and while you are doing this, make a sauce by pouring juices from roasting pan into a saucepan & add ¼ cup each of balsamic & caster sugar. Reduce down until thick & syrupy. Slice beef and pour over glaze.

Steak Cooking Tips

Trim off any excess fat, and cut through any remaining fat or gristle on the edge to prevent curling.

Brush the meat with the merest touch of oil to prevent it sticking to the pan. This may not be necessary if your pan is well seasoned or non-stick. Add a little ground black pepper if desired, some say to season the meat first with salt, whereas others say not to season until after the meat is cooked as it will draw the juices from the meat.

Heat a heavy-based grill pan or barbecue to very hot. Do not add oil or fat to the pan. Place the steak onto the hot surface and turn it about half way through the cooking time to seal the other side and complete the cooking.

Check for readiness by pressing meat with tongs or your fingertips. Rare beef feels spongy, medium is slightly firmer and well done feels firm.

Let the steak rest for 2-4 minutes before serving.

Cooking times:

The New Zealand Beef and Lamb Marketing Bureau recommend these cooking times for a steak 1.5-2cm thick:

• Rare: 3-4 minutes each side
• Medium: 4-6 minutes each side
• Well done: 6 minutes each side then reduce the heat to finish cooking

Other interesting stuff:

• Lean grilling beef is low in fat and rich in protein, iron and zinc, as well as being an excellent source of the B vitamins, B6 and B12, riboflavin and niacin. These are essential for growth and energy, and the reason why puréed beef is recommended for babies over 6 months, whose high iron needs in particular can be difficult to meet.
• Most beef grilling cuts have a little fat running through the meat, which is necessary for tenderness and flavour. Look for the leanest grilling cuts and ask us to trim off any remaining fat, or do this yourself at home.
• Refrigerate steak as soon as possible after you buy it.
• Cooking time depends on the cut and thickness of the meat, the cooking method you use and how you like your steak: rare, medium or well done. Because of this, all cooking times are approximate.
• It is essential to 'rest' (allow to stand) steak immediately it is cooked and before eating. Put the cooked meat on a serving plate, cover loosely with a light cloth, foil or baking paper and let it sit on the bench or in a warm oven for about 2- 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. This allows the fibres to settle and the meat will be even more tender.

We held a competition in Cheviot a while back to find the best recipe for slow cookers. Gordon MacEwan submitted his favourite and we had to agree; it is a delight.

Gordie’s Slow Cooked Delight

Cube 1 kg of braising steak. Roll in herbed flour (any fresh or dried herbs you have on hand ie rosemary, thyme). Saute in heavy pan until browned, together with 1-2 onions and garlic. Add chopped carrots, celery, mushrooms (a good handful of each) and 1 diced kumara. Stir and sizzle in your pan then transfer into your slow cooker. Add a few small potatoes (Gordie suggests ratts). Add tomato paste and a good glug of red wine and top up with water, so the meat and vegs are covered (because you have rolled the meat in flour, it will thicken the gravy as it cooks). Cook in your slow cooker for the day on low (or until the meat is tender which should be about 5 hours). If you don’t have a slow cooker, cook it covered for 2-3 hours on low heat. Serve with mashed spuds (Gordie suggests agria) and new peas!

Thanks Gordie!