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Bolognese Tag it: ? Written by Bear    Tuesday, 19 February 2008 This world famous sauce from Bologna in Italy has, like much that travels round the world, lost it's special character in a thousand pre-packed dishes and bottles. DON'T buy it! Make your own. To do this properly is really not very difficult, though I admit it is hardly the quickest dish out. As a Ragu it can be made with anything - beef, pork, veal, venison, but here I am making it with pork and beef - about half and half. One of the keys to this dish is the tomato contribution. This dish should not be drowned in tomato, however the tomato sauce used should be very rich. In Bologna they often achieve this by cooking the meat and the tomato seperately, combining them later in the proceedure. I started using this method a few years ago and the difference to the sauce was quite astounding. Also, try to avoid using spaghetti. Nothing particularly wrong with it, but it's shape makes combining with the sauce very difficult. Btter using something like Tagliatelli, or even penne. In Italy they only serve Spaghetti Bolognaise to tourists. THis recipe makes quite a lot - but it freezes very well! Write comment (0 Comments) Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 ) Read more...

Beef Stew Tag it: ? Written by Bear    Friday, 15 February 2008 Now, everyone likes a good stew. It is one of the oldest ways of cooking food and still one of the best. Stew is really a very simple concept - it is the combining of ingredients in a sealed vessel. That is it. After that it is just a question of choosing the right ingredients for the job and getting on with it. This one is loosely based on a French hunters stew. But over the years I have to admit it has become corrupted as I add different ingredients depending on what is available. Oh, and I have also added dumplings. However, I have stuck to the two core ingredients - Beef and Wine. The beef is as important in a stew as it is when choosing the perfect steak. Choose from good quality beef stock like Hereford. The cut you want is something like shin or braising steak with plenty of thin fat marbling. But do trim off any very heavy fat or tough gristle as that wont help. While you are picking up your beef you will also need a bit of gammon hock - to help the whole thing along. Now, on with the show. Write comment (0 Comments) Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 ) Read more...