basic beef stew

Stewing beef, or any other meat basically can be broken down into two steps, reducing the stew and then simmering until the end. There are loads of variation on how to prepare beef stew, but what i’m showing here will be the most basic stuff which after you have mastered can be taken into the next level.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

for the beef

a kilo of cubed beef chuck (chuck is used because it is one of the toughest meat on a cow, suitable for long cooking that stewing involved)

all-purpose flour/wheat flour (enough to cover the meat)

white pepper powder (enough to cover the meat)

paprika powder (enough to cover the meat)

for the stew

2 tablespoon of butter

a tablespoon of cornflour/cornstarch

2 litres of beef stock

one large onion, diced

a tablespoon of tomato paste/puree

4 medium carrots, cut into small pieces

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into golf ball pieces

4 celery stalks, cut into small pieces

2 bay leaves

a teaspoon of dried rosemary

a teaspoon of dried parsley

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Mix the flour, white pepper and paprika powder in a bowl and coat the beef entirely. Pan fry the beef on a skillet until brown on all side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Melt butter in a large deep sauce pan or pot. Cook the onion until lightly browned. Then add the tomato paste and cook while stirring for about a minute. Then stir in the flour, and cook until the flour had absorbed the liquid inside the pan. Immediately deglaze with a litre of the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Add the beef, the bay leaves, rosemary and parsley and let reduce the liquid for about an hour. It the liquid has reduced to much before the hour mark, add a cup or two of water. Once the stew has reduce, add in the remaining beef stock, season with salt and pepper and stir in all the remaining vegetables including the potatoes. Cover the pan and continue simmering for another hour.

About 15 minutes until the final hour mark, finish off with a dash of lemon juice and check the seasoning. Add more salt and pepper to your desire. If you want a thicker broth, leave that final 15 minutes of simmering with the cover off, otherwise return the cover to the pan.

Serve with bread, baguette or own its own. Marvelously delicious!

roasted tomato soup

There are many variations on how to prepare tomato soup, and by far, this is my most favourite and the easiest with the least ingredients. I love serving this with baguette, the crunchy outer texture compliments the rustic taste of the soup.

Serves 4

1kg ripe cherry tomatoes

4 large tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 small red onions

a small bunch of fresh basil

extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare a medium roasting tray. Preheat oven to 220 degree C. Quarter the large tomatoes and together with the cherry tomatoes, put all into the roasting tray. Drizzle over a good lug of olive oil season with salt and pepper. Crush and peeled the garlic and toss into the roasting tray. Put in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

In the meantime, peel and roughly chop the onions and put in a hot saucepan with a few lug of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sweat the onion for a few minutes without browning over low heat. Stir the balsamic vinegar, turn up the heat to medium and let it cook away and reduce down. Take the tray of tomatoes out of the oven and add everything into the pan of onion.

Carefully pour everything into a blender, add the basil (reserves some for garnishing) and whizz to a fairly rustic consistency. Serve in a bowl, optionally topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the reserved basil.