Tag: Roast

Categories
Mains

Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce

Happy Easter weekend everyone! It’s sunny and warm here in the UK but, I see, raining cats and dogs in Augusta, Georgia. How very inconsiderate of the weather, interfering with my planned post-dinner relaxation watching the US Masters. Oh well, while the golfing umbrellas are up, I will capitalise on the time to update you on my Easter weekend cooking.

I bought a joint of beef brisket from my local butcher and have slow cooked it with seasonal veg in a pot roast that seems to have gone down well with the troops. So here is the recipe.

Servings

There should be enough here for 6 adult servings, alongside your choice of roast veg.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, then leave it to slow cook for 6 hours or so.

You Will Need

  • 1kg rolled beef brisket
  • a swig of veg oil
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 parsnip, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 200ml red wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp red currant or cranberry sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tsp water

Method

  1. Warm the oil in a heavy-based wok or saucepan. Put in the beef brisket joint and sear until it is brown on all sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
  2. Put all the chopped veg into the warm oil and cook till browned.
  3. Add in the stock, wine, bay leaf and redcurrant/cranberry sauce. Bring to the boil and stir to mix.
  4. Combine the beef joint, veg and sauce in the vessel that you are going to slow cook in. I used an electric slow cooker on the low setting, but I have also cooked this dish in a Le Creuset casserole dish on the stove top, on simmer setting. You could also put it in a casserole dish and transfer to the oven at 140C. Whatever method you choose, the key factor is to let it stew for around 6 hours on a low heat. This will tenderise the meat, infuse the veg with a beefy taste and produce a sweetened sauce, or gravy.
  5. 6 hours later, remove the joint and set on a carving board, covered with foil to keep warm. Transfer the sauce to the hob and heat to reduce. Add in the cornflour and water mix to produce the thickness you desire. If you wish, add in further amounts of cornflour and water as necessary.
  6. Slice the meat and serve with a generous dollop of the red wine sauce. You can see from my photo that I served this with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, boiled carrots and brussels sprouts.

Customise It!

I would stick to the choice of joint, and proportions of beef stock and wine. The veg, however, you can vary up to include what is in season and what you have to hand. Some field mushrooms and some red or green peppers would go down well. Celery would be a brilliant addition.

As it is the Easter holidays, I have a special, longer track for the ADK Playlist. The 50th Anniversary of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells has recently been a topic of celebration here in the UK, with a re-recorded version and concert tour.

At first I was slightly wary about a re-recording of a classic, that was as close to perfection as it is possible to get. However, the new version is actually pretty good, being very faithful to the original, and definitely worth a listen. It has been recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the added strings, woodwind and percussion sections add significantly (there is no brass as far as I can tell).

I was curious to see who would take the place of Vivian Stanshall as MC, calling in the various instruments. My guess was Stephen Fry, but as it transpires it is Brian Blessed, in typically rumbustious and over the top fashion.

All in all, a lot of fun.

Make the most of this relaxing music – next week I am back in London to see one of my favourite ever bands, Inspiral Carpets, live at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. I am really looking forward to this, folks, so expect higher decibel levels to be resumed soon.

Happy Easter!

Categories
Mains Recipes

Guinness and Honey-Glazed Roast Pork

With all my Irish Potato Bread now eaten, I’m moving on to the next round of Irish-influenced good food and great music, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day Weekend.

This dish is a great way to incorporate A Drop of the Black Stuff in a dark, sweet glaze and sauce to enjoy with roast pork. As you can see from my main photo, I served this with creamy potato mash over a bed of shredded savoy cabbage. The garnish of scallions (spring onions) adds another taste, and contributes to the shamrock green colour palette.

It both looks and tastes great. What’s more, once you’ve opened the bottle of Guinness for the glaze, the rest can be poured into a glass as a well-earned appetiser for the hard working cook. So what’s not to like?

Servings

My carving of the pork loin produced 11 slices, so at 2 slices per person this will comfortably feed 4 -5.

Timings

15 mins to make the glaze. The pork takes an initial 20 mins in the oven at 180C, then a further 50 mins to slow cook at a lower setting of 150C.

You Will Need

  • 1kg good quality pork loin, skinless and boneless (I bought mine from a local independent butcher)
  • 200ml Guinness
  • 50ml runny honey
  • 120g light brown sugar
  • seasalt and black pepper

Method

  1. Combine the Guinness, honey and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Then turn down to a simmer and allow to reduce by about half. Remove the saucepan to a cool place. Don’t be too concerned if it still looks too liquidy for a glaze – as it starts to cool it will thicken.
  2. Turn on the oven at 180C.
  3. Lay the pork loin on a chopping board, fat side up. With a sharp knife, score lines in the layer of fat at 1cm intervals. Grind over some seasalt and black pepper, then rub it in to the fat layer with your fingers.
  4. Place the pork on a roasting dish and put in the oven when it has reached temperature. Leave for 20mins.
  5. Remove the pork from the oven and turn the temperature down to 150C. Brush the pork all over with most of the Guinness and honey glaze, and put it back in the oven for a further 50 mins.
  6. Take the dish from the oven at 10 – 15 min intervals and baste with the liquid gathering in the bottom of the roasting dish. These will be a mixture of the Guinness and honey glaze and the juices from the pork as it cooks.
  7. Remove the cooked pork after 50 mins and let it rest on a chopping board for 5 mins, then carve into slices. See my photos below.
  8. Tip the juices from the roasting dish into the saucepan along with the remaining Guinness and honey glaze. Stir to combine as you warm it through, then pour into a jug.
  9. Serve slices of the pork with your choice of veg, and drizzle over the Guinness and honey sauce (see my main photo at the top of this post). My veg is boiled potatoes mashed with butter, steamed shredded savoy cabbage, and a garnish of chopped scallions.

Customise It!

You have scope to vary the veg accompaniments, though I would keep to a potatoes and greens theme for a St Patrick’s celebration. Add the chopped scallions directly into the mash, to make champ. You could also replace the cabbage with kale or cavolo nero.

No prizes for guessing the suggested choice of drink to enjoy with your meal!

My St. Patrick’s Playlist has been prominent in the ADK kitchen this weekend, and here is another track. This one is something of a timeless classic from Belfast’s own Van the Man: Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile).