Lamb OssoBuco and Oven baked risotto Milanese

Couldn't find Delia's Lamb OssoBuco on her online website - so here is my variant that I cooked yesterday. It was one of those evenings where I didn't want to be standing by the stove for ages so I tried out making the risotto in the oven - probably not as good if made the traditional way but it worked just fine!

Lamb OssoBuco
Heat oven to 200C
Chop one onion and a clove of garlic and put into base of heat proof shallow casserole dish.
Slice lamb neck fillets (I used 500g - could use a bit less) into 1 inch slices and put on top of the onion. Drizzle with olive oil and put into oven for 30 minutes.
Mix one 400g tin chopped tomatoes with heaped tbsp tomato puree and glass of white wine. Add the end f the 30 minutes pur the tomato mixture over the meat, roughly mix in a put back into the oven. Turn the oven down to 180C and cook for a further 1.5 hours.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with the risotto.

Oven Baked Risotto Milanese
Put 2oz butter into a 2+ pint oven proof dish and put in oven (180C) for one minute to soften. Add sachet of powdered saffron (about half tsp) and put back in oven for further minute.
Add one chopped onion and crushed clove of garlic, mix, and put back in oven for four minutes to soften.
Add 100 g risotto rice, 300 ml hot vegetable stock and glass of white wine. Cook for further 40 minutes stirring a couple of times, until liquid is nearly completly absorbed.
Stir in 25g grated parmesan and serve

Slow cooker BBQ beef

Back from a week in Normandy with extended family. Fresh croissants, excellent galletes in St Lo, Friuts de Mer in Bayeux, and all started with yummy beef cooked by my sister. Must remember to get her bbq chicken recipe (although it might be very similar!)

1 kilo braising steak

1 onion

6 fl oz tomato ketchup

4 fl oz water

1 tsp mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Brown meat then add all ingredients to slow cook pot on low for minimum of 12 hours

Left overs

Turkey curry is always on the list. This year Turkey biryani was a new find (have frozen half the sauce for some left over chicken at some point).

Some others
http://www.stiltoncheese.com/us/recipes/baconfettucine.html
http://www.kalofagas.ca/2011/05/27/ribeye-steaks-with-blue-cheese-sauce/
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5011/coronation-turkey

Christmas 2011

Christmas Eve saw a gathering here feasting on a 3kg gammon from Sandridge Farm. Cooked this using Nigella's gammon with cola recipe that others have raived about. Must admit to not being convinced that the cola adds anything. I might be one of those who don't repeat. Don't get me wrong - it was still a good tasty gammon. Maybe one to do with a cheap gammon joint not a Sandridge Farm £30 one? Simmer with root veg, bay leaves etc and then glaze in oven as per norm will be approach next year for Sandridge Farm joints. Mashed potatoes, mashed swede and carrot, french beans (frozen from our garden this summer), along with redcurrant and balsamic vingegar sauce were the accompniaments.

Christmas Day the turkey was cooked as last year but I included the bramley, chestnut and watercress stuffing this time. Brussel Sprouts done this way are excellent - go for 'undercooked' rather than 'overcooked' and 2tbsp (rather than the 2tsp I used this year) of chopped sage will probably be very good. Roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots and peas were the rest of the veg.

Need some more practice making Pavlova as in it needs more time to cook. I am told the vanilla ice cream recipe used is not worth repeating :( Must try another one .... or this one again when can find some decent vanilla pods. 

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Dry fry 0.5tsp coriander seeds with 0.5tsp ground cummin
Blend with large handful fresh coriander, 2 fresh green chillis, 6 spring onions, 2cm root ginger (minced), 2 cloves garlic, 1tsp minced lemon grass, juice of a lime
Fry the resulting paste over medium heat for a couple of minutes then add 250 ml coconut milk and upto 120 ml water (depending on how thick you want the sauce.

Add chicken (either 4 chicken thighs boned or 3 chicken breast fillets - cut into bits) and 200 g green beans, halved.

Cook for 20 minutes/until chicken is cooked through.

Tomato Soup

Mr B made chicken stock from bones left from pot roast chicken last weekend. A long overdue write up of  tomato soup recipe (made with aforementioned stock for lunch during the week).

Chop two onions, two carrots and two sticks of celery and sweat in two tablespoons of olive oil along with stalks from small bunch of basil (reserve the basil leaves).
When onions are just translucent add 1.8 litres of chicken stock (or vegetable), 2 cans of chopped plum tomatoes and 5 chopped large fresh tomatoes. Bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. 
Remove from heat and add basil leaves. Using hand blender process until smooth. Taste and season prior to serving.

Falafel

400g can of chickpeas
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour

Put onions, garlic and parsley in food processor and 'chop'. Add to food processor all other ingredients and process until smooth-ish paste. Form into balls and deep fry in oil until golden brown (5-7 minutes). Alternatively form into patties and shallow fry until brown.

Serve in pitta bread with shredded lettuce, cucumber and a tahini dressing (equal parts tahini and yoghurt with lemon juice to taste - try 1.5tbsp with juice of half a lemon)

Friends who we haven't seen for 7 years came for lunch yesterday. Lunch consisted of Pot roast chicken and rhubarb and ginger icecream. Catching up on 7 years including the wedding of their eldest last year was brilliant. Sounds like we might be meeting up again in a couple of months time as he turns 60.