Slow cooked mutton curry with garam masala

Tags

curry, garam masala, indian, Lamb, mutton

Friends of ours recently returned from a trip to India and brought me back some spices, including garam masala for mutton. I decided to use the spices immediately and invite them over for a meal to taste. This is such a quick and easy recipe. Not too hot but incredibly flavourful. I served it with rice and chutney. If you cannot find mutton, no problem, simply use lamb instead.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kg / 2lbs leg of mutton cut to bite-sized pieces
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 1/2 cm / 1″ piece ginger, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 heaped tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or mild paprika)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• Pinch turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves

Preparation:

Mix the garlic and ginger to a coarse paste and add to the lamb
Stir well and set aside for an hour or overnight if you have time
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil on a medium heat
Add the marinated lamb chunks and fry for 5-6 minutes stirring well to seal
Add the sliced tomatoes and cook for a further 8 minutes
The tomatoes will begin to break down and soften
Add the onions and chilli powder and stir well cooking for a further 3 minutes
Season to taste
Lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes stirring occasionally
In a bowl mix together the Greek yogurt with the ground spices: coriander, turmeric, cumin
Add this to the lamb and stir well
Continue simmering on a low heat and with the lid half over the pan for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally
Turn the heat off and while it’s still warm add the garam masala, chillies if using, coriander and mint
Enjoy!

Poulet Basquaise – chicken with peppers, ham, tomatoes and onions

Tags

basque, Chicken, chicken stew, classic french, espelette, one-dish meal, peppers, piment d'espelette, tomatoes

The perfect one-dish meal! Poulet Basquaise is a standard plat du jour in many bistros across France and there must be at least a hundred interpretations of this classic dish. It originates in the Basque country and is traditionally made with a little Bayonne ham. The generic term Bayonne applies to any salt-cured ham that is air-dried for five months. You may use any unsmoked ham such as prosciutto or Serrano if you cannot find Bayonne. The difference between poulet basquaise and many other chicken and tomato stews is that here the onions and tomatoes are cooked separately from the chicken and peppers and the cooked chicken is served on a bed of the tomato and onion sauce. Additionally the dish tastes especially good due to the addition of Espelette pepper. It is a mildish pepper with lots of flavour and not much heat. If for some reason you cannot find ground piment d’Espelette, substitute 4 small, mildly hot peppers such as serrano peppers or use 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes. As with all spicy recipes, do feel free to adjust the amount of hot peppers to your taste! This dish is typically served with plain, white, boiled rice. It is a great do-ahead dish and tastes even better the next day.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs (1 1/2 to 2 kg / 3 to 4 lbs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour for dusting
3 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons (5 total) rendered duck fat or vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
250g / 8oz Bayonne ham or prosciutto, diced
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1kg / 2lb red and green bell peppers, cored, seeded and thickly sliced
1kg / 2 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 1 large can 750g / 28oz plum tomatoes, drained)
Pinch of sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground piment d’Espelette
Parsley, fresh and coarsely chopped for garnish

Preparation:

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour
In a large, deep and heavy skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately high heat
Add the chicken and cook on one side until a deep golden brown, about 5 minutes, then turn the pieces over and brown the other side, about 5 minutes more
Work in batches if to avoid overcrowding the pan
Return all the chicken to the pan
Add the garlic, bell peppers, chillis and ham
Cook, covered, over medium low heat until the chicken is cooked and the peppers are soft, about 45 minutes
Stir occasionally and adjust heat to avoid scorching
Meanwhile in another large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat
Add the onions, reduce heat and cook until very soft, about 5 minutes
Add the tomatoes, sugar and piment d’Espelette
Cook for 30 minutes
Season to taste
(The dish can be made ahead up to this point – reheat both mixtures separately before serving)
To serve, spoon the tomato and onion mixture into a deep platter, cover with the chicken, garnish with parsley and serve immediately, with white rice
Enjoy!

Melt in your mouth beef shin

Tags

Beef, beef shin, red wine, stew, Veal

 

Beef shin is one of the cheaper cuts of beef yet is without a doubt one of the favourites used in long, slow cooked dishes.Also known as the shank, this is a cut of beef taken from the lower leg of a steer. The shin is a highly worked muscle that is supported by high levels of connective tissue. This connective tissue is broken down through slow cooking over a low heat and results in a moist, tender meat with rich flavour.

This dish has very few ingredients and very few steps to it but the end result is an intensely tender and fragrant stew. No knife needed here, the meat can be eaten with a fork.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2kg / 4lb 8oz shin of beef, bone in (ask your butcher to cut it into 3cm / 1¼in slices)
3 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 bottles full-bodied red wine
1 bouquet garni

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 160ºC/325ºF
In a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot or dutch oven, heat some olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat
Put the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper
Coat the beef in the seasoned flour and shake off any excess flour
Fry the beef, in batches, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until browned all over
Set aside
Add the onions, garlic and carrots and sauté for a few minutes until softened
Stir in the tomato paste
Return the meat to the pan
Add the bouquet garni and the wine
Add salt and pepper
Gently bring to the boil, cover and place in your preheated oven for 3 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender and can be broken up with a spoon
Taste and check the seasoning, remove the bouquet garni and serve
Serve with a creamy mash or pasta
Enjoy!

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