Meat - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: Meat

05
Aug
2020

Steak Frites with Bearnaise Sauce – Dining with The Dame 5

categories: Dining With The Dame, Potato, Steak

“Hello crime readers and food lovers! The Secret of Chimneys is Agatha Christie’s fifth novel and it is a standalone thriller even though in the tv version it is turned into a Miss Marple mystery. Chimneys introduces us to Superintendent Battle who will return in future novels. On the menu for tonight’s dinner is a classic Steak Frites with Bearnaise Sauce. I have chosen the French nomenclature today because it sounds so much more classy than the English alternative of steak and chips! I think the Dame would have approved!

Oh, and just so you don’t get confused like I did over the title, Chimneys refers to a country house, not actual chimneys! The tv version was filmed at Hatfield house which was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth 1. And totally gorgeous!

The Secret of Chimneys – The Plot

Oh Lord…where to start? This one is complicated!

So, let’s start it in Zimbabwe where we meet our hero Anthony Cade. A friend gives him the memoirs of a Herzoslovakian (yes really) aristocrat to take to publishers in London along with some incriminating letters written by a woman called Virginia Revel. Through a series of escapades, Anthony meets the real Virginia Revel and gets an invitation to Chimneys, but only after having disposed of the dead body in the study…

Rght about now, I usually do a bit of a summary of the novel. Well, I bought a big pile of Agatha Christie novels on eBay and the back cover of The Secret of Chimneys has done it for me. Here is what it says

“Stolen letters, a foreign envoy; a shot at one of England’s historic houses; detectives Britishm French and American; secret passages, a fabulous jewel, a mysterious rose emblem; an organisation called the Comrades of the Red Hand; an international jewel thief…”

I couldn’t have done it better myself!

Sadly, the Secret at Chimneys also contains some racial slurs and stereotypes that are definitely on the nose for the modern reader which diminished my enjoyment of this “light-hearted thriller”.

The Covers

The first three on the top row are the one I read, my favourite and I don’t even know what is happening here!!! As lovely as it is, I also feel the French cover looks like it was designed by someone who had never read the book!

The Recipe – Steak Frites with Bearnaise

“He thought longingly of such things as rump steaks, juicy chops, and large masses of fried potatoes. But he shook his head ruefully, glancing at his wristwatch”

The Mystery of Chimneys, Agatha Christie

Here’s the recipe. I used oven fries but this recipe has all the instructions to cook your “mass of fried potatoes” from scratch if you so desire! I also used dried tarragon in my bearnaise because winter!

Other Food Mentioned in The Secret of Chimneys

Have a great week! Oh and I’m so excited, my next post will be a collab with Jenny from Silver Screen Suppers! Stay tuned and stay safe!

31
May
2020

Individual Shepherd’s Pie

categories: Comfort Food, England, Lamb, Pie

Maybe it is the whole Covid thing or maybe it is just because it is getting colder here but I have been craving comfort food like nobody’s business. My particular drug of choice has been potatoes. I love them at the best of times but nowadays? I have eaten them pretty much every day since lockdown. And one of the best comfort foods around that has been feeding my potato addiction is Shepherd’s Pie!

Normally when we make Shepherd’s Pie, it is the job of the Fussiest Eater in the World. He can’t cook much all that well but he knows how to do good British stodge to perfection. And his Shepherd’s Pie is great.

But wait…I am probably making some assumptions here. So let’s start with…

WHAT ON EARTH IS SHEPHERD’S PIE?

Shepherd’s Pie is a dish made of cooked lamb topped with mashed potato. The same dish made with beef is called Cottage Pie or Hachis Parmentier if you want to be French and fancy. Which usually is my default mode (wound up to eleven) but today I am using lamb so common or garden Shepherd’s Pie it is!

Traditionally, this was made with the leftover lamb from a Sunday roast. We usually use bought minced lamb for our Shepherd’s Pie but this time round, I wanted to, what they would call on the cooking shows, ELEVATE the dish, so I used some diced lamb.

A DIGRESSION ON WORKING FROM HOME

I was very pleased to read Yinzerella’s post the other day on the pleasures of lockdown. I too am enjoying many of the aspects of being at home 24/7. For instance I have

More time to spend with Oscar and Holly.
More time to read, to craft, to study, to do yoga and to blog!
Started to declutter and organise my life
Massively reduced my carbon footprint The last time I filled my car with petrol was in March! We got solar earlier this year so even though I am using more electricity by being at home, it is being paid for by the power we are generating.
Invented a push-up challenge and am doing a Buzzfeed core challenge.
More time to cook. 4-hour slow-cooked lamb on a Tuesday night? Not a problem. Grapefruit brulee for breakfast? You betcha!
Totally embraced my basic B instincts! These faux fir booties? I know, so chav, but wearing them made my feet warn for the first time in DAYS!!!! I may never take them off!

Anyway, back to the Shepherd’s Pies. I slow-cooked that lamb for four hours with red wine and herbs and garlic and tomatoes until it was melt in your mouth tender.

Then I made mashed potato with heaps of butter and milk to top it, and then topped that with a heap of grated cheese!

This was so good. Tender lamb, cheesy mashed potato…what else can I say except if you are craving a cuddle in the form of food, make this straight away!!! Of course, you can use this mix to make one large pie but I love small food so individual serves it was – one for each of us and one for lunch the following day! This reheats beautifully so you can make a few extra to warm up for additional meals.

I cut the recipe in half for these pies because I only had 500g of lamb but the full recipe will make one large or 6 small pies (depending of course on the size of your small pie dishes).

The Recipe

Individual Shepherd’s Pie

Print Recipe

This hearty British dish combines slow-cooked lamb and cheesy mashed potatoes to make the most comforting of comfort foods

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

60ml olive oil
1kg diced lamb
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
40g plain flour
250ml beef stock (more if cooking for a long period of time)
200 ml red wine (I used a cabernet merlot)
145g tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 kg potatoes peeled and halved
50g butter
175ml milk
180g Cheddar cheese, grated

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the lamb and cook, turning as required until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another tbsp of oil and the remaining lamb.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until the vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring to ensure that the garlic does not burn.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Gradually add the stock to the pan followed by the wine, stirring to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the lamb, tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, rosemary and bay leaves. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for between one to four hours – you may need to add more stock or wine if you are cooking for longer than an hour.

While the lamb is cooking, boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes or until tender. Then drain and return to the pan. Add the butter and milk and mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the office to 200C.

Once the lamb is cooked, measure it out into 6 small (1 cup capacity) ovenproof dishes. Top with the mashed potato and then with the grated cheese.

Cook in the pre-heated oven until the cheese is golden brown and melted – around 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

What is your go-to comfort food? I hope you get to have some this week! My next post will also be comfort food but of the cake variety,,,,

Have a good one and stay safe!

22
Apr
2020

Name Plates: Steak Diane

categories: Name Plates, Steak, United States of America

Hello people of the internet and welcome to another edition of “Name Plates.” This is where we take a look at the real-life people behind our favourite meals. Today we are looking at the classic American dish of Steak Diane.

What is Steak Diane?

Steak Diane is a panfried steak served with a sauce made from the pan juices from the steak, cream, brandy and Worcestershire sauce. Of course there are thousands of variations on this but if we hone it down to it’s core, this is what makes a Steak Diane.

Back in the day, the steak was dramatically flambeed at the table! No wonder it became so popular. Who doesn’t love a bit of theatre with their meal! How many over zealous patrons ended the night with burnt off eyebrows do you think? But hey, nothing speaks of a good night out like first degree burns right?

I did not flambe my sauce because I am a total klutz and the world is already going to hell. I don’t need to be setting my kitchen on fire as the cherry on top of that particular pile of woe.

It tasted pretty good regardless!

Who Was Diane?

There are hundreds of theories on the Diane that inspired the sauce which inspired the steak. One is that it was named after the young daughter of Chef Beniamino Schiavon who “invented” the dish at the Drake Hotel in Manhattan in 1948.

Another theory has the dish evolving from the Roman times where plates of game meat were often given in honour to the Goddess of the Hunt, Diana. Over time and in France, these became known as dishes prepared “a la Diane”. Soldiers stationed in France in World War I took versions of these dishes home and over time, Venison a la Diane became good old Steak Diane.

I actually believe that, in all probability, this is the origin of Steak Diane.

My Preferred Origin Story

I wanted to raise a less familiar theory, one that I found on this website.

Let’s take a little trip in the Wayback machine to London in 1938, specifically Mayfair, and even more specifically to a restaurant called Tony’s Grill. Head chef at Tony’s was the eponymous Tony Clerici.

September 30 1938 was a dark day for Alfred Duff Cooper (yes, I know he has a dumbarse name but bear with me on this, he’s one of the good guys). The Munich Agreement which allowed Hitler to “annex” Czechoslovakia was signed that day. War was averted but for people like our boy Duff, this was only giving licence to that Nazi madman.

He and his friends gathered at Tony’s Grill for a dinner and some talk of doom and gloom. I can almost guarantee that the phrase “thin end of the wedge” was used. More than once. Ditto “slippery slope”.

Recognising that the group were not in their usual jovial (ie big eating, big drinking, big tipping) mood, Tony Clerici wanted to inject some joy into the evening. He did so by preparing a dish in honour of Duff’s beautiful and glamourous wife, Lady Diana Cooper.

And voila, Steak Diane was born!

Is this the face that launched a million steaks? I really hope so!

Can we all forget about the other origin stories and enjoy Steak Diane as a celebration of anti-fascism?

The Recipe

I used the Steak Diane Recipe from the Australian Women’s Weekly Retro Cookbook. And I must say….I think I got a pretty close resemblance!

Here’s the recipe. I added a tsp of Dijon Mustard into my sauce as well as it appeared in a number of Sauce Diane recipes I looked at, even though it is not contained in the recipe below.

Variations

As with many of these classic recipes there are a millionty one recipes on the interwebs. Here are some variations to type not ingredients to the sauce:

Steak Diane Pie….ooh yeah, this is going on my winter bake list for sure!
Chicken Diane….just in case we want a change from steak!
And here’s one for the vegetarians…Mushrooms Diane

Modern Day Diane

As ever, I get to choose a modern-day person to whom I would dedicate a Steak Diane. This one was possibly the hardest one yet. The early runner was Diane Lane, who starred in one of the movies that shaped my childhood, The Outsiders. I ADORED the book of this film. Sodapop Curtis was one of the first loves of my life and I cried a river or two when (spoiler alert) Johnny died. Diane Lane is perfectly cast as the beautiful Cherry!

However, in the end, Diane Keaton pipped her at the post. What is not to love about Diane Keaton? She is an outstanding actress, a style icon, a director, producer, photographer, real estate developer…is there anything she cannot do? If anyone deserves an eponymous steak it is surely she.

The above picture is a scene from The Godfather which is our current film club pick. I am going to try to watch 1 (tonight) and 2 (tomorrow) before our meeting on Wednesday. Good thing I have my reduced working week day off on Wednesday in case that plan goes awry! I have never seen any of The Godfather films so this is a real knowledge gap for me. Such a knowledge gap that I had no idea that Diane Keaton was even in it! Okay, I have 6 and a half hours of movies to watch so I need to get moving.

Have a great week. Stay safe and stay gold!

24
Oct
2019

Mr Kransky’s Panel Van Meatloaf

categories: Meat, Music

So people of the internet, we’re going to start today’s post with a little quiz. I’m going to show you some pictures and you can try to guess what these things have in common. Are you ready? Ok, picture #1 is my version of Matt Preston’s Mr Kransky’s Panel Van Meatloaf. No, I don’t know why it’s called that either.

Next up? Clue 2…

Any takers? Okay, clue 3 coming up!

And finally…

Have you got it? Meatloaf, 1979, Bat, Hell…shall I take the words right out of your mouth?

Today we are celebrating Meatloaf’s album Bat Out of Hell which was released this week 40 years ago! My parents had a copy of this album and in particular my Dad LOVED it and played it often so Bat out of Hell is part of the soundtrack of my childhood. There would have been a time where I could have song every song word for word. Those days are gone but, I will confess that if I’m in the car and radio hopping and I catch a few bars of “Paradise by the dashboard light” I will always listen just because it reminds of the time when “We were barely 17 and we were barely dressed” was the most risque thing I had ever heard! Nowadays I will crank the volume up and join in that operatic crescendo at the end “So now I’m praying for the end of time so I can end my time with you” Which in the words of PJ O’Rourke is definitely a case of age and guile beating youth, innocence and a bad haircut.

I celebrated this 40 year anniversary by making the aforementioned Mr Kransky’s Panel Van Meatloaf. I don;t know who Mr Kransky is or why he decided to make (eat?) his meatloaf in a panel van (aka a shagging wagon) but I can tell you it is delicious. That sweet glaze over the top? Mmmmmmwha!

I used lamb mince in my meatloaf as I don’t eat pork and added a little chilli into the meat mixture too.

This was so good.

The only downside is that the recipe makes a TON of meatloaf, I have been eating it all week! Still, it was worth it as this really is very tasty.

My two favourite ways of eating this are first, very traditionally with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. The other is in a long roll with some lettuce and pickled vegetables (carrots, daikon and onion), coriander and with a little chilli sauce mixed into the glaze to become a kind of cheat’s bahn mi! Perfect for work lunches!

Have an awesome week everyone! I’ll be eating so much meatloaf and trying not to hum “Two out three ain’t bad” out loud.

PS – let me know at what number clue you guessed the quiz topic!

21
Jan
2019

Lebanese Lamb Pizza

categories: Lamb, Lebanon, Modern Times, Pizza

My modern take on Lebanese food consists of what is probably my favourite fast food – pizza! The name for these pizzas in Lebanese is “lahembajin” which means “meat on dough”. Hmmm… what was I saying just last week about the wonderful poetic names for food in the Middle East? Never mind the pragmatic name though, this Lebanese Lamb pizza is delicious!

This Lebanese Lamb Pizza has some differences to the traditional Italian pizza.

First, the base is either pita or, to be more authentic Lebanese flatbread. There is also no cheese although you can top it with a dollop of labne just before serving.

The meat to base ratio is much higher than your typical Italian pizza, making the Lebanese Lamb Pizza more like a Meatzza!

The topping is minced lamb cooked with pomegranate molasses, onions and spices like cinnamon and allspice. Once cooked, the pizza is topped with toasted pine nuts, labne, herbs, chilli and another hit of pomegranate molasses. My recipe was a slight variation in the one below from the book Arabesque by Greg and Lucy Malouf.

My variations to their Lebanese Lamb were:

To use pita bread as my pizza base
I topped my pizza with labne (made by straining a dollop of yoghurt for about an hour)
I garnished my pizza with fresh coriander and chilli and another drizzle of pomegranate molasses

Now, please excuse me, I have more eating to do!

Have a wonderful week!