Chinese Beef Stew with Peanuts

Name: Chinese Beef Stew with Peanuts
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 tbsp rapeseed oil; 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped); 1 large onion (finely chopped); 500 g stewing steak (cubed); 50 g sweet potato (chopped); 40 g dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in hot water); 200 g chestnut mushrooms (sliced); 1 tbsp black bean sauce; 1 tbsp hoisin sauce; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 110 ml chicken stock; 75 ml rice wine; 100 g roasted peanuts

To celebrate this years Chinese New Year I have made a Chinese beef stew. Unlike most Chinese dishes this calls on the traditional stewing technique of North East China.

Course

Beef, Main Dish

Cuisine

Chinese

Servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
500 g stewing steak cubed
50 g sweet potato chopped
40 g dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water
200 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
1 tbsp black bean sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
110 ml chicken stock
75 ml rice wine
100 g roasted peanuts

Course

Beef, Main Dish

Cuisine

Chinese

Servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
500 g stewing steak cubed
50 g sweet potato chopped
40 g dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water
200 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
1 tbsp black bean sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
110 ml chicken stock
75 ml rice wine
100 g roasted peanuts

Instructions

Heat the oil in the inner pot and add the garlic and onions. Cook for until the onions soften.
Add the beef and stir-fry until it starts to brown.
Add all of the remaining ingredients except the wine. Top up with more stock or water to cover everything.
Bring to the boil then turn down to the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the insulated outer container.
Shut the lid and leave to thermal cook for a minimum of 3 hours.
Before serving stir in the rice wine and check the seasoning.
Serve with rice and stir fried pak choi and a sprinkle of peanuts.

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Pot Roast Beef with Mushrooms

For this dish you an use any beef joint but remember the cheaper cuts will need a lot longer to tenderise them. I served my Pot Roast Beef with lovely creamy mashed potatoes which soaked up all the lovely mushroom gravy. If you have a top pot you can cook your potatoes in that and they will be perfect to mash just before serving.

Course

Beef, Main Dish

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 kg beef joint. If you choose a cheaper cut it will need longer cooking
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 large onion thinly sliced
3 400g tins cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp thyme
3 tbsp beef gravy mix powder
250 g mushrooms sliced
2 bay leaves
water

Course

Beef, Main Dish

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 kg beef joint. If you choose a cheaper cut it will need longer cooking
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 large onion thinly sliced
3 400g tins cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp thyme
3 tbsp beef gravy mix powder
250 g mushrooms sliced
2 bay leaves
water

Instructions

Add the oil to the inner pot over a medium heat.
Brown the meat all over.
Remove the meat and add the onions and garlic. Cook the onions until they a soft.
Place the meat back on the onions and add all the other ingredients.
Pour in some water if the meat is not completely covered.
Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Put the inner pot into the insulated outer container and shut the lid. Cook for a minimum of 4 hours without power depending on the cut of meat. If cooking it longer bring it back to the boil after the 4 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables of your choice

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Perfect Sticky Glazed Ham

This recipe is adapted from a recipe that appeared in the Waitrose Magazine. It makes the perfect ham for a celebration.

Course

Ham, Main Dish

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

2 kg unsmoked gammon from the thick end of the leg
2 onions roughly chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 sticks celery roughly chopped
2 star anise
10 black peppercorns
15-20 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs thyme
500 ml stout
200 ml cola

Glaze

Course

Ham, Main Dish

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

2 kg unsmoked gammon from the thick end of the leg
2 onions roughly chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 sticks celery roughly chopped
2 star anise
10 black peppercorns
15-20 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs thyme
500 ml stout
200 ml cola

Glaze

Instructions

Place the vegetables on the bottom of the inner pot.
Place the gammon on top of the vegetables.
Add 8 of the cloves and the rest of the ingredients and top up with cold water.
Bring to the boil skimming any scum carefully off the surface.
Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Place the inner pot into the insulated outer container and shut the lid.
Leave to cook without power for 4 to 6 hours.
Remove while you prepare the glaze.

To glaze

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put all the ingredients for the glaze in a pan over a very low heat and mix until combined.
Remove the gammon from the inner pot and put on a rack in a in a baking tray.
With a sharp knife remove the skin leaving a
good even layer of fat.
Score the fat in a diamond pattern and stud each diamond with a clove.
Pour over half the glaze and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes basting with more glaze every 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.

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A Bowl of Pumpkin and Apple Soup

This is a wonderful soup (based on a Keith Floyd recipe from his trip to Africa) to serve on Halloween or bonfire night. The recipe will fill a 4.5L Mr D’s Thermal Cooker but it can easily be halved if you are feeding less people. I used for mine a chicken stock I had saved from cooking a chicken in my thermal cooker earlier in the week but you can if you wish use chicken stock cubes or vegetable stock cubes if you want a vegetarian version.

Course

Starters, Vegetarian

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

40 ml rapeseed oil
30 g butter
2 large lonion chopped
1 kg pumpkin peeled and cubed
500 g potatoes peeled and cubed
4 medium eating apples peeled and cubed (I used Cox’s)
1 tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
250 ml chicken or vegetable stock if using stock cubes and water 1¼ L and 3 stock cubes
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp sugar
200 ml crème fraîche

Course

Starters, Vegetarian

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

40 ml rapeseed oil
30 g butter
2 large lonion chopped
1 kg pumpkin peeled and cubed
500 g potatoes peeled and cubed
4 medium eating apples peeled and cubed (I used Cox’s)
1 tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
250 ml chicken or vegetable stock if using stock cubes and water 1¼ L and 3 stock cubes
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp sugar
200 ml crème fraîche

Instructions

Heat the oil and butter in inner pot.
Add the onion and sauté until golden.
Add the pumpkin, potato, apples and spices and mix together making sure all the vegetables and fruit are covered with the spices.
Add the stock, salt, bay leaf sugar, crème
fraîche and bring to the boil.
Once boiling turn down to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal Container.
Shut the lid and leave to thermally cook without power for a minimum of 2 hours.
Before serving remove the bay leaves and purée with a blender.

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The Best Gluten Free Bread

This simple recipe for Gluten Free Bread is so easy to make in a thermal cooker. There is no kneading or waiting for it to rise like conventional bread.

The Best Gluten Free Bread

Most people say the gluten free bread is very dry. By cooking it in a thermal cooker dryness is not a problem as you will get lovely soft bread with a good crumb. You will need for this recipe a 1lb bread tin with a lid such as the Mr D’s Bread Tin.

Course

Cake and Bread, Gluten Free

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

150 ml warm milk 40°C
½ tsp cider vinegar
1 large legg
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
225 g white gluten free flour blend I use Doves Farm
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp quick yeast
1 tbsp sugar

Course

Cake and Bread, Gluten Free

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

150 ml warm milk 40°C
½ tsp cider vinegar
1 large legg
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
225 g white gluten free flour blend I use Doves Farm
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp quick yeast
1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Mix together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar.
In a bowl beat the oil, milk, vinegar and egg together.
Add the flour and mix to form a sticky dough. You are looking for a thick batter.
Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to line the bread tin.
Grease the tin not forgetting the lid and place the greaseproof paper in the bottom.
Add the batter to the bread tin and leave the lid off.
In the inner pot add ¾ cup of boiling water and ¼ cup of cold water.
Place the bread tin on a trivet in the inner pot.
Put the lid on the inner pot.
Put the inner pot into the outer insulated container. Shut the lid and leave to rise.
After 30 minutes, check to see if the dough has doubled in size (filling the tin about ¾). If not leave it bit longer.
Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the inner pot from the outer container and put the lid on the bread tin.
Pour boiling water into the inner pot until the water comes about ¾ of the way up the side of the bread tin.
Put the inner pot on a heat source and bring back to the boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down so the water in simmering. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes with the inner pot lid on.
Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the insulated outer container.
Shut the lid and leave to thermal cook without power for a minimum of four hours. It can be left overnight.
Once cooked remove the tin from the inner pot and carefully take off the lid.
Leave for a few minutes then run a knife carefully around the edge of the bread and turn out onto a rack.

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Sophie’s Amazing Lamb Tagine

Sophie's Amazing Lamb Tagine

The recipe this week is provided by Sophie who will be cooking for the crew of Jubilant during this years Fastnet race. Sophie kindly brought some tagine for us to try at the Midsummer Motorhome Show in Exeter and it was so popular that I decided it had to be included in my weekly recipes.

Course

Lamb, Main Dish

Cuisine

Moroccan

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 large onions chopped into small pieces
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 kg lamb cut into chunks. Shoulder is good, but Sophie uses scrag end or neck as it cooks for so long and is far tastier
2 tins chopped tomatoes
500 ml tomato juice or pasata
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
120 gm dried apricots cut in half
60 gm dates cut in half
60 gm sultanas or raisins
100 gm flaked Almonds
1 pinch saffron stamens
500 ml lamb stock
3 tbsp clear honey
1/2 cup parsley chopped

Course

Lamb, Main Dish

Cuisine

Moroccan

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 large onions chopped into small pieces
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 kg lamb cut into chunks. Shoulder is good, but Sophie uses scrag end or neck as it cooks for so long and is far tastier
2 tins chopped tomatoes
500 ml tomato juice or pasata
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
120 gm dried apricots cut in half
60 gm dates cut in half
60 gm sultanas or raisins
100 gm flaked Almonds
1 pinch saffron stamens
500 ml lamb stock
3 tbsp clear honey
1/2 cup parsley chopped

Instructions

Heat the oil in the inner pot over a medium heat.
Add the onions and fry until soft
Add the coriander, parsley, cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, ground ginger, turmeric and cinnamon. Stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the lamb and mix with the spices and onions.
Add the tins of tomatoes, tomato juice or pasata to the meat and cook until it starts to bubble a bit.
Add the garlic, fruit and rest of the ingredients.
Bring to the boil while stirring. Once boiling turn down to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal Container.
Shut the lid and leave to thermally cook without power for a minimum of 3 hours
cooking couscous in the top pot if you have one.
Add couscous and water according to the packet.
Open the vacuum-insulated Thermal Container and remove the lid from the inner container. Place the the top pot into the inner pot.
Leave to thermal cook without power for the same length of time as the tagine.

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Venison Chili the Best Chili Ever

Course

Main Dish, Venison

Cuisine

Mexican

Servings

Ingredients

Rice

1 cup ½of rice
3 cups of water

Chili

Course

Main Dish, Venison

Cuisine

Mexican

Servings

Ingredients

Rice

1 cup ½of rice
3 cups of water

Chili

Instructions

Cooking the chili

Heat the rapeseed oil in the inner pot over a medium-high heat and add the bacon pieces and cook until they start to crisp slightly.
Add the onion, chili and garlic. C cook until the onion softens.
Add the venison and cook until it colours.
Stir in the cumin, coriander and smoked paprika and cook for a minute.
Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato purée, water, stock cube and kidney beans.
Bring to the boil stirring occasionally.
Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and place the inner pot into the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal container.
Shut the lid and leave while you start the rice in the top pot. If not using a top pot leave to cook for a minimum of 2 hours.

Cooking the rice in the top pot

Add the rice and water to the top pot and bring to the boil, stir and turn down the heat and simmer for 1 minute.
Turn off the heat, open the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal container and place the top pot into the inner pot.
Put the lid on the top pot and shut the lid of the outer container.
Leave to thermal cook without power for a minimum of 2 hours.

To serve

Serve the chili on a bed of rice with a spoonful of sour cream or grated cheddar cheese on top.

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Portuguese Fish Stew

Portuguese Fish Stew - Video

This Portuguese fish stew is normally made in a cataplana which is a Moorish designed copper domed dish. I have made mine in a thermal cooker which like the cataplana keeps the flavours in so they develop their intensity while cooking. The Western Algarve style cooking includes potatoes, firm white seasonal fish, seafood, peppers and a hint of chili. Once served from the thermal cooker all that is needed is a spoon and some crusty bread to mop round the bowl.

Course

Fish, Main Dish

Cuisine

Portugese

Servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
2 leaves bay
2 leaves or 3 sprigs of thyme
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 green chilli sliced
1 fish stock cube
400 g new potatoes sliced
120 g chorizo sliced
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
200 ml white wine
200 ml water
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
500 g mixed fish cut into chunks
500 g clams
1 small bunch coriander chopped

Course

Fish, Main Dish

Cuisine

Portugese

Servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
2 leaves bay
2 leaves or 3 sprigs of thyme
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 green chilli sliced
1 fish stock cube
400 g new potatoes sliced
120 g chorizo sliced
400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
200 ml white wine
200 ml water
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
500 g mixed fish cut into chunks
500 g clams
1 small bunch coriander chopped

Instructions

In the inner pot, add the olive oil and thyme. Cook on a low heat a couple of minutes to release the flavours of the herbs.
Add the garlic and cook gently for 1 minute making sure that it doesn't start to burn.
Add the onion, green pepper, green chilli and stock cube. Cook gently until the onions soften.
Turn up the heat slightly and add the potatoes, chorizo, tomatoes, wine and water.
Grind in some pepper and bring to the boil stirring occasionally.
Once boiling turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the fish and clams. Bring back to the boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer for 1 minute before putting the inner pot into the vacuum-insulated outer Thermal container. Shut the lid and leave to cook for a 2 hours.
Before serving check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Spinkle with chopped coriander and serve with crusty bread.

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Pot Roast Sirlion of Beef

Pot roasting in a thermal cooker works really well as it can been seen with this recipe for pot roast beef. I like to have a selection of vegetables with my pot roast so I add them all at the same time so a complete meal is ready at the end.

Course

Beef, Main Dish

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

1.5 kg beef sirloin rolled and tied
2 tbsp plain flour
sea salt
black pepper freshly ground
2 tbsp olive oil
125 g lardons
4 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 small celeriac peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 beef stock cube
water
3 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves

Course

Beef, Main Dish

Cuisine

Servings

Ingredients

1.5 kg beef sirloin rolled and tied
2 tbsp plain flour
sea salt
black pepper freshly ground
2 tbsp olive oil
125 g lardons
4 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 small celeriac peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 beef stock cube
water
3 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves

Instructions

Mix the flour with a generous pinch each of salt and pepper and roll the beef in the seasoned flour to coat, shaking or patting off any excess. Set aside.
Put the inner pot onto a medium heat and pour in the olive oil.
Once hot add the lardons and cook until starting to crisp.
Carefully place the beef into the pot turning it to brown it all over.
Once brown remove to a plate and set aside.
Add the carrots, celeriac and garlic. Crumble over the stock cube and fry gently stirring until starting to brown.
Pour in a little water and stir to deglaze the inner pot.
Put the beef back in and pour over the tin of tomatoes.
Top up with water until just covering the meat.
Bring to the boil then put on the lid and turn down to a simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes before turning off the heat and placing the inner pot into the insulated outer container.
Shut the lid and leave to thermal slow cook without power for a minimum of 4 hours.
Once cooked remove the beef and bring the inner pot back to the boil.
To serve thinly slice the beef. Add the vegetables that were cooked with beef and mashed potatoes and cabbage. If you prefer instead of the cabbage and mash serve with some rustic bread and a side salad.

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