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    Monday, August 06, 2007

    A Wonderful Stew and a New Gratin

    My office looks for all the world like a junk shop. All our lovely possessions have been relegated to one spot. Funny how this does not improve their appearance.

    The painter is coming today.
    Our house looks like the House Doctor has been in and has gone mad de-cluttering.
    We moved into this house 15 years ago this month and amazingly we have managed to last this long without redecorating.
    It has been driving us mad…looking very “Shabby Chic” I felt and that is a polite term I guess.
    So Dale has removed everything from the walls and all the photos and nice pieces we have collected over the years are thrown in the office.
    Boy it’s looking very empty.


    A bit sad I feel.
    So how do I fill in the time?
    I cooked.
    I have 4 Seville oranges left from my tiny harvest and this dish from Gary Rhodes is so so good. It’s a bit of prep but well worthy it.
    Don’t forget when it is the oven you just have to stir it every ½ hour
    By the way you could use navel oranges for this casserole. Be a little sweeter but sill pretty good.

    So you first
    Heat you oven to 160C
    Then for 4 people
    250g blade steak per person
    2 tablespoons flour
    Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
    Vegetable oil I use rice bran



    Big knob of butter
    2 large onions quartered
    2 large carrots quartered
    50 mls red wine vinegar
    1 bottle red wine
    2 teaspoons demerara sugar
    2 bay leaves
    Sprig of thyme
    Sprig of rosemary
    4 x Black peppercorns
    4 strip of Seville orange peel
    600 mls beef stock


    Juice of 2 Seville oranges


    Cut steak into 4 cm pieces
    Toss in seasoned flour
    Dump in a sieve to shake off excess flour
    Heat a pan over high heat
    Add oil and brown meat
    Remove and set aside


    Add a little stock and deglaze the pan
    Add to meat

    In another pan melt butter
    Add onions and carrots fry till golden brown
    Season with a little salt and freshly ground black freshly ground black pepper


    Remove and add red wine vinegar
    Reduce by half over high heat
    Add red wine, demerara sugar, herbs and peppercorns
    Reduce by 2/3 and add orange peel
    Put meat vege and stock into a casserole dish
    Add beef stock


    Into oven and cook stirring every half hour and skim off any fat.
    Cook till meat is tender should be 2 ½ - 3 hours

    Meanwhile juice the oranges and strain, boil till syrupy.

    When the casserole is cooked remove vege and beef
    Keep warm
    Strain liquid and put back into pan and reduce a little more.


    I think serve with mash and your favourite vege.
    Peas will be pretty good.



    But the real excitement of the day is the accompanying vege dish I made.
    I saw someone on Saturday Cooks make this Gratin.
    Well actually not this one which is what is exciting.
    Turns out I got it all wrong but what a find.

    It is Swede and Beetroot Gratin

    This is what I did
    Heat the oven to 180C

    The two of us ate this amount.
    Knob of butter
    1 large swede
    1 med beetroot
    1 clove garlic
    ½ cup milk
    ½ cup cream
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Parmesan cheese


    First thinly slice the swede and beetroot
    If you have a mandolin use that.
    Grease your dish with the butter
    Layer of swede
    Season and covered with grated parmesan cheese
    Then the beetroot


    More seasoning and cheese
    Final layer of swede
    Mix milk and cream
    Season
    Pour over the top and a final grating of parmesan.

    Whoops I forgot the garlic
    So I grated 1 clove of garlic and pressed down the vege so that the milk was well dispersed.


    Into the oven.
    After 10 minutes I found my pad with the notes from the show.
    Quelle domage!!!guess what?
    Not swede but kumara
    You also heat the milk infused with bay leaf and onion
    Breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter and parmesan
    Too late for the first two instructions but not too late for the breadcrumb topping

    So I whipped it out of the oven…melted some butter
    Mixed with Japanese Panko breadcrumbs (the best)
    Some extra grated parmesan and sprinkling of dried thyme.

    Sprinkled them all over the top
    Back into the oven 40 minutes
    Here it is
    Looks like Rhubarb Crumble


    What a wonderful meld of flavours and colours
    This would make a wonderful first course
    And definitely would accompany any red meat.

    So once again a new dish has been born,

    4 comments:

    FH said...

    Good luck with de-cluttering!:)
    Beet Gratin looks yum!

    So So Simple said...

    Looks like we will be like this for at least a week till until the new carpet goes down but it will be stunning when finished.

    Katie Zeller said...

    I love the gratin! Love swedes, would never have thought to combine them with beetroot.... what a pretty dish!

    So So Simple said...

    Katie
    It really was delicious. It may take a little longer than 40 minutes check with a sharp knife.
    Do try it.