Meal

Krombacher Beer – Slow Cooked Beef Shin Recipe

23rd April 2017 by Rosie

23rd April 2017 celebrates St.George’s day in the UK but it also sees the celebration of the 501st Anniversary of the Reinheitsgrebot (also known as the German Brewing Laws or German Purity Laws) which is the oldest piece of food and drink law in the world; dating right back to 1516. It states that only 4 ingredients may be used in the production of the beer; hops, malted barley, yeast and water. Therefore there are no additives or preservatives allowed to be added to the brew, ensuring the beer’s purity, taste and quality. This also means that the beers are suitable for vegetarians/vegans as there are no animal products used to ‘clear’ the brew.

Krombacher is the largest brewer in Germany, and is the biggest family owned and operated brewery within Europe. Their beers have been made exclusively in Krombach since 1803, and are produced in accordance with the German Beer Purity Law of 1516. Water is obtained from 48 wells, all within a 3km radius of the brewery, which is soft and low in mineral content making it perfect for brewing. Along with summer barley, Siegel hops and its own speciality cultivated yeast, it makes Krombacher beers be seen as the taste of its’ homeland.

It was first imported into the UK in 1987 and is growing in popularity here, where the range currently includes the Pilsner, Hell, Dark, Wizen, Radler, Low Alcoholic Pils and Low Alcohol Wizen. You can find Krombacher in pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels throughout the UK, as well as from Majestic Wines, Beers of Europe and Noble Green Wines. The low alcohol variations are also available from Dry Drinker.

Having been sent some of Krombacher’s beers and challenged to pair food or prepare a recipe to go with it, I created a deliciously rich, slow and succulent, beef shin cooked in their Dark beer recipe. A quick call to my local butcher on Friday to place an order for some beef shin to collect yesterday morning and I was set for the challenge to create this tasty dinner for my family. If you take the generic food groups, I almost managed to get this made with only 4 ingredients: vegetables, meat, grain and beer, along with a little bit of oil and some seasoning.

15ml rapeseed oil
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 bay leaves
500g beef shin, cubed (ask you butcher to do this for you)
15ml / 1tbs plain flour
500ml Krombacher Dark beer
400g can chopped tomatoes
Salt & pepper to season

Heat the oven to 180℃.
In a large, hob/oven proof pan/casserole dish, add the oil and heat on the hob over a medium heat.
Add the celery, carrots, onion and bay leaves.
Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes until they’re just starting to soften but not colour.
Add the beef and evenly sprinkle over the flour.
Mix thoroughly to coat the meat and vegetables in the flour and to absorb any oil.

Add the bottle of beer and the chopped tomatoes, along with salt and pepper to season.

Stir to mix thoroughly then bring to the boil.
Cover with a lid and place the pan/casserole dish into the oven to cook for 3-3½ hours, removing the lid for the final 30 minutes if you need to reduce and thicken the sauce further.

The meat should be flaky and the sauce unctuous and thick.
Serve with buttered mashed potatoes, green vegetables (kale or savoy cabbage) and some steamed carrots.

Enjoy with a glass of cold Krombacher Dark beer!

This is a collaborative post.

Lamb Keema

16th April 2017 by Rosie

Such a simple but deliciously easy dish to prepare using a well stocked store cupboard’s ingredients is my lamb keema recipe. When I worked for an accountancy practice, one of the clients I used to go out and visit would often feed me some of this for lunch that his wife had made. Bear in mind that they had two young girls who ate this – it would have me almost in tears with the heat – I’m such a wimp! Be assured that mine is nowhere near as hot as that, but it can be if you want it to!

2 medium onions
15ml Rapeseed oil
½tsp Cumin seeds
2 Bay leaves
1-2 chillies (according on taste)
200g tinned tomatoes
2tsp Garlic & Ginger paste (or 1tsp of each)
1tsp Turmeric
½-1tsp Chilli powder (according to taste)
1tsp Garam masala
500g Lamb mince
Salt
50g frozen Peas
Cup water
Fresh Mint
Fresh Coriander
4tbs natural yoghurt
2tsp Mint sauce concentrate

Finely chop the onions.
Heat the oil in a large pan.
Add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and fry off for 30 seconds.
Add the onion and cook until starting to brown. This should take 3-4 mins.
Add the chopped chillies and the tomatoes.
Stir through thoroughly and cook for 1 minute.
Add the ginger and garlic paste, the turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala and mince.
Stir, breaking the mince down to separate it.
Add ¼ tsp salt and the cup of water, along with the frozen peas and stir thoroughly.
Simmer for 20 minutes until cooked and the liquid has reduced by two thirds.
Chop the mint and coriander finely.
Add the herbs to the keema, mix together and cook for 1 minute.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Mix the natural yoghurt with the mint sauce concentrate.

Serve the keema with a spoonful of the minted natural yoghurt, along with a naan bread.

Cottage Pie

17th October 2016 by Rosie

The summer is at an end, the nights are drawing in and it’s getting darker slightly earlier each evening. You can see the leaves turning their amazing hues of yellow, gold and red almost in front of your eyes, and there’s a distinct nip in the air to be felt. Shortly we’ll be putting our clocks back and that will signify the real start of the dark nights ahead until the promise of spring joins us once more.

At this time of year, what better meal to enjoy then a hearty Cottage Pie? Good quality, lean minced beef. Thick and delicious gravy enrobing the meat, topped off with a delightful, buttery soft mashed potato. It’s not a pretty dish for the eyes to behold, but it sure is a tasty one! Am I making you hungry yet?

I used 5% lean Angus Steak mince from Lidl and British grown Albert Bartlett potatoes (which I love for their taste and light, fluffy texture when cooked. Both of which have the Red Tractor mark of quality. To enjoy a meal as tasty as this, you’ll need:

15ml Rapeseed oil
1 large red onion, chopped
500g Lean minced beef
1 Knorr onion gravy pot
200ml Boiling water
50ml Red wine
10ml Worcester sauce
10ml Dried parsley
Salt & Pepper to season
4 Large Adrian Bartlett Potatoes, peeled & cut into 2-3cm pieces
100g Butter, cubed

Heat your oven to 200℃.
Gently heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion until soft, but not browned.
Add the mince and cook until browned.
Mix the stock pot with the boiling water, red wine and Worcester sauce, then add this to the mince along with the parsley.
Bring to the boil and season to taste.
Turn the heat down low and simmer, stirring occasionally, whilst you cook your potatoes.

Add your potatoes to a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook until soft.
Drain the potatoes, add the cubed butter, season and mash them really well (no lumps are welcome in this recipe!).
Pour the minced beef in to an ovenproof dish, then scoop the potatoes on top.
Spread out the potatoes to an even layer and rough the surface with a fork to allow parts of the potato topping to brown more than others.
Place the cottage pie in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the top is a rich golden brown, and the gravy is just oozing up between the potatoes and the dish.

Remove from the oven and serve with generous amounts of vegetables.

Don’t forget, that when dinner tastes this good, it’s perfectly OK to go back for seconds.

This recipe was not sponsored or endorsed by either Lidl UK or by Adrian Bartlett potatoes.

Jersey Royal Potato and Vegetable Curry

20th June 2016 by Rosie

One of the recipes I’m sharing with you using the deliciously nutty and seasonal Jersey Royal Potatoes in collaboration with Asda is for a vegetable curry. Inspired from a recipe my husband found online, he’s adapted and cooked this one for me (as I’m currently recovering from having knee surgery a couple of days ago, and therefore not able to stand for periods of time). Thanks Will x

The ingredients aren’t set in stone for this one; add or remove ingredients that you do or don’t like. (I personally don’t like mushrooms, but he does, so they went in and I picked them out of my dinner). The Mange Tout came from our garden, the French beans were reduced in price in our local supermarket as they had to be sold on the day, as was the courgette. All other ingredients we had at home as staples in our cupboards/fridge. It looks like a lot of ingredients, I know!

30ml Sunflower oil
2.5ml Black Mustard seeds
2.5ml Cumin seeds
2.5ml Fennel seeds
2.5ml Fenugreek seeds
3 Cardamon pods
1 medium Red onion, chopped
1 large White onion, chopped
3 sticks Celery, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2.5cm fresh Ginger, grated
5 cloves Garlic, crushed
5ml Salt
Medium sweet potato, cubed
10-12 Jersey Royals, cubed
5ml Chilli powder
5ml Turmeric
5ml Cumin
5ml ground Coriander
1 whole Chilli, finely chopped
handful of French Beans, sliced in half horizontally
8-10 Mange Tout, sliced in half horizontally
1 cup frozen Peas
1 medium Courgette, diced
50g button Mushrooms, halved
Can coconut milk
Fresh coriander, chopped.

Prepare all your vegetables as above. You can keep the following together in bowls as they’ll be added to the curry together in batches:

Red and white onions.
Celery and carrots.
Sweet potato and Jersey Royals.
French beans and mange tout.
Peas and courgettes.
Mushrooms.

(This is how my husband preps his ingredients to cook – I have to leave the kitchen; it’s all too much organisation for me!)

2. In a large saucepan/frying pan with a lid, heat the oil and add your mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and cardamon pods. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse the oil. The seeds may start to pop as they cook, don’t worry, this is normal.

3. Add the celery and the carrots, stir to coat evenly in the spiced oil and cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the ginger, garlic and salt and coat evenly. Cook gently for 4-5 minutes.

5. Add the sweet potato and the Jersey Royals, stir thoroughly and cook for 2-3 minutes. If the vegetables start to stick to the pan, add a splash of water to loosen the mixture.

6. Add the chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder and coriander powder, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Add the fresh chilli and stir thoroughly. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

8. Add the French beans, mange tout and stir. Place the lid on the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Add the frozen peas and diced courgettes. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

10. Stir in the mushrooms. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

11. Add the coconut milk, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, put the lid on and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are all cooked.

12. Finally stir through the chopped coriander and serve with boiled rice.

He cooked this on his little camping stove in the garden to tease the neighbours I think with the delicious smells, but we didn’t invite them to share the meal with us! HAHA!

Krombacher Beer – Slow Cooked Beef Shin Recipe

This is a collaborative post.

Lamb Keema

Cottage Pie

This recipe was not sponsored or endorsed by either Lidl UK or by Adrian Bartlett potatoes.

Jersey Royal Potato and Vegetable Curry

This recipe is cooked in collaboration with Asda and Jersey Royals to highlight the versatility and great flavour of Jersey Royal potatoes.

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