Stew

Beef short rib stew

Posted by Gary

If you don’t want to read the introduction, click here for the recipe.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed your week. Mine has been smooth going apart from a near miss last Sunday. The cold front mentioned in last week’s post resulted in hail, sleet, and snow in the region. I was driving on Sunday and had to go through a slurry of ice. As I slowed down, I watched a car in my rear vision mirror slide off the road. Fortunately, the occupants appeared to be okay.

I’m not used to driving on ice; I’m grateful for modern automotive technology, such as anti-lock brakes. 

On Tuesday evening, the Australian treasurer moved the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2023–24. I dare not comment on the appropriation bill; apart from knowing in its depths, some exciting work is ahead for my area. 

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Olive oil 
  • Bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat (0.8 kg at $23.50/kg) 
  • Salt – Iodised 
  • Black peppercorns 
  • Onion, chopped 
  • Carrot, chopped 
  • Celery, chopped 
  • Garlic, minced 
  • Tomatoes 
  • Cooking sherry 
  • Beef stock 
  • Black beans, rinsed and drained 
  • Lentils, rinsed and drained 
Beef short ribs

Instructions

Ribs

  1. Brown the ribs in a hot oven first. 
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. 
  3. Add the dripping juices from the oven tray. 
  4. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the saucepan and cook until softened. 
  5. Add the sherry and cook until reduced by half. 
  6. Add the beef broth, peppercorns, black beans, and lentils, and bring the contents to a simmer. 
  7. Transfer the contents to a pressure cooker and add the ribs. 
  8. Cook under pressure for one hour. 
  9. Allow the pressure to equilibrate, and then remove the lid. 
  10. Remove the ribs and set aside. 
  11. Transfer the remaining contents of the pressure cooker to a saucepan. 
  12. Bring the saucepan to a simmer to reduce the fluid. 
  13. Pull the beef from the ribs and add it to the saucepan. 
Beef short ribs out of the pressure cooker

Pumpkin

  1. Cut a pumpkin into chunks. 
  2. Season with salt and rub the pumpkin with olive oil. 
  3. Cook the pumpkin in an oven at 180 °C (fan forced) for 45 minutes. 
  4. Mash the pumpkin (keeping the skin on) with a fork and flavour with sesame oil as the pumpkin is mashed. 

Plating up

  1. Place a smear of pumpkin mash on a warmed dinner plate. 
  2. Spoon some of the rib stew onto the mash. 
  3. Serve with some crispy Brussels sprouts. 
  4. Give thanks to the Lord. 
  5. Eat with a fork. 

Thoughts on the meal 

You may have noticed I’ve got into a groove with lentils and beans. I figure I can extend the value of the meat with the legumes. 

This stew will keep me going all week like the oyster blade and lentil stew did last week. 

Final thoughts 

Do you have much experience with driving on ice? 

Do you get excited by the passage of appropriation bills so you can undertake new work? 

I hope you fill the coming week with happiness and joy. 

Photographs 

Here is a gallery of photographs. Click on one image and then scroll or swipe through them.

Beef short ribs
Beef short ribs
Beef short ribs
Celery Carrot Onion
Tomatoes
Black beans
Beef short ribs out of the pressure cooker
Black beans and lentils from the pressure cooker
Beef short rib stew with black beans and lentils, served with pumpkin mash and Brussels sprouts
Beef short rib stew with black beans and lentils, served with pumpkin mash and Brussels sprouts
Beef short rib stew with black beans and lentils, served with pumpkin mash and Brussels sprouts
Beef short rib stew with black beans and lentils, served with pumpkin mash and Brussels sprouts
Beef short rib stew with black beans and lentils, served with pumpkin mash and Brussels sprouts

A piece of ground full of lentils

Posted by Gary

If you don’t want to read the introduction, click here for the recipe. 

Dear Reader, 

Introduction 

Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice

My inspiration for this week is last Sunday’s sermon from church. If a month has five Sundays, the church has a guest preacher with a missionary focus. Last week, we had a Royal Australian Navy chaplain preach. Although he’s not a visitor – a regular at our church – he dressed up in his uniform for the service. 

The passage he expounded on was 2 Samuel 23:8–39. As a warfighter in the ADF with deployments to combat zones, this is an excellent passage for him to preach. 

For me, a home cook, though, the relevant verse was 11. “And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.” 

Tonight, I’m using lentils. I also added some meat. Feel free to ignore the meat for a vegetable-only dish.  

Recipe

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker 
  • Saucepan 

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • Oyster blade steak – diced 
  • Flour
  • Garlic powder
  • Garlic clove
  • Salt
  • One stalk celery 
  • A diced carrot 
  • Swiss brown mushrooms
  • One small onion – chopped 
  • One clove of garlic – chopped 
  • 200 g canned Borlotti beans 
  • 200 g canned lentils 
  • 750 mL vegetable stock 
  • 100 g crushed canned tomatoes 
  • Fresh rosemary, to taste 
  • 2–3 teaspoons curry powder, to taste 
  • Salt to taste 

Instructions 

  1. Add the oil into a high-sided saucepan, then add the chopped celery, carrot, onion and garlic clove. 
  2. Sauté together over medium heat. Add the curry powder and rosemary leaves when the onion has become translucent. 
  3. Place some flour, garlic powder, and salt into a bag.
  4. Add the steak and shake the bag to coat the meat with the dry ingredients.
  5. Transfer the sautéd vegetables to the pressure cooker vessel, add more oil, and then add the steak. 
  6. Get the steak caramelised and transfer it to the pressure cooker vessel. 
  7. Fry off the mushrooms and then add them to the pressure cooker.
  8. Pour some stock into the saucepan to remove the fond and then decant to the pressure cooker. 
  9. Add all the legumes, tomatoes, and remaining stock, and mix with a wooden spoon. 
  10. To add a kick, grind some rock salt and whole peppercorns with a pestle in a mortar, and add to the pressure cooker before sealing the lid. 
  11. Cook under pressure for about 30 minutes. 
  12. Allow the pressure to equalise naturally, and open the cover. 
  13. Spoon into a bowl along with some rice.
  14. Give thanks to the Lord. 
  15. Eat with a spoon.  

Thoughts on the meal 

A cold front from the southern ocean has been moving north across the southern parts of Australia. Snow is falling in some areas, and we’ve already had subzero mornings this week. 

This meal with some rice helped warm me from the inside. 

I will have enough leftover for the week. 

Final thoughts 

Church life has changed a lot over the last few decades. Rather than turning up with old-fashioned bibles, we open an app on our smartphone or tablet. Smart devices are the appurtenances of church culture. I’ve already started using artificial intelligence to assist in gathering information for bible study. 

I ate this meal while watching the Dolphins play the Sharks. This weekend, all the NRL games are being played in Brisbane. It was a magnificent win (36–16) for the Dolphins and their coach, Mr Bennett who has now coached 900 NRL games.

Back to the top

Photographs 

A photograph of some diced onion, celery, and carrot
Onion, celery, and carrot
A photograph of some oyster blade steaks on a plate
Oyster blade steak
A photograph of some diced oyster blade steak in a bowl
Oyster blade steak – diced
A photograph of some diced oyster blade steak which has been coated in flour, garlic powder, and salt.
Oyster blade steak – diced and floured
A photograph of some diced oyster blade steak that has been coated in flour, garlic powder, and salt, and then caramelised in a fry pan.
Oyster blade steak – diced, floured, and fried
A photograph of Swiss brown mushrooms in a bowl
Swiss brown mushrooms
A photograph of lentils in a bowl
Lentils
A photograph of Borlotti beans in a bowl
Borlotti beans
A photograph of black beans in a bowl
Black beans
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice
Beef, beans, and lentil stew with brown rice

What is oyster blade steak?

Oyster blade steak is a meat cut from an animal’s shoulder blade. It’s under the shoulder blade and has a tough line of connective tissue running through the middle. It is a tough and chewy muscle. 

Back to the top

Meaty legumes and pasta

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader, 

Last week I shared a vegan legume soup. This week I’m adding meat and pasta. 

The meat will change its flavour profile, and rather than a soup; it will become a stew. 

I’m trying a low-carbohydrate and high-protein pasta to see what it tastes like. The CSIRO TWD lists San Remo Pasta Pro Multigrain Protein Pasta. 

Cans of Borlotti beans, lentils, and tomato

Recipe 

Equipment 

  • Pressure cooker 
  • Stainless steel saucepan 

Ingredients 

  • 50 mL olive oil
  • Two stalks of celery 
  • One diced carrot 
  • One small onion, chopped 
  • Two cloves of garlic – chopped 
  • 240 g (drained) canned Borlotti beans 
  • 240 g (drained) canned lentils 
  • 750 mL vegetable stock 
  • 210 g crushed canned tomatoes 
  • Fresh rosemary, to taste 
  • 2–3 teaspoons curry powder, to taste 
  • Salt to taste 
  • Rolled boneless Australian lamb shoulder 
  • San Remo Pasta Pro Multigrain Protein Pasta 

Instructions 

  1. Add the oil into a high-sided saucepan, then add the chopped celery, carrot, onion and garlic clove.
  2. Sauté together over medium heat. Add the curry powder and rosemary leaves when the onion has become translucent.
  3. Pour a little stock to remove the fond from the saucepan and then decant to the pressure cooker.
  4. Add all the legumes, tomatoes, and vegetable stock, and mix with a wooden spoon. 
  5. Place the lamb into the cooking vessel. 
  6. To add an extra kick, grind some rock salt and whole peppercorns with a pestle in a mortar, and add to the pressure cooker before sealing the lid.
  7. Cook under pressure for about 60 minutes. 
  8. Allow the pressure to equalise naturally, and open the cover. 
  9. Take the meat out and break it up in a bowl. It should be tender enough to pull apart. 
  10. Transfer the remaining contents into a saucepan and bring to a simmer to reduce. 
  11. Add the meat and stir with a spoon when the soup becomes more like a stew. 
  12. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packaging. 
  13. Spoon the pasta into a bowl and add some meaty legume stew. 
  14. Give thanks to the Lord. 
  15. Eat with a spoon. 

Photographs 

Cans of borlotti beans, lentils, and tomato
Lamb shoulder rolled roast
San Remo Pasta Pro Multigrain Protein Pasta
Pulled lamb shoulder meat
San Remo Pasta Pro Multigrain Protein Pasta
Pressure cooker lamb shoulder legume stew with San Remo Pro Pasta
Pressure cooker lamb shoulder legume stew with San Remo Pro Pasta
Pressure cooker lamb shoulder legume stew with San Remo Pro Pasta

Irish stew

Posted by Gary

Hello Reader,

How are you today? I hope you’ve enjoyed your week since I last wrote here.

I’ve been busy with work and trying to cope with all the pollen in the air. Everywhere I look, I see yellow wattle flowers. I’ve been sneezing and coughing, and my throat has felt irritated.

I’ve also been listening to audiobooks in my spare time, especially when out walking. I’ve been listening to some J. K. Rowling and Lee Child books. I read the hard copy Harry Potter books soon after they were released. Listening to them read by Stephen Fry has been enjoyable. Lee Child’s series about Jack Reacher has provided some escapist relief.

The other week I watched the movie adaptation of The Guns of Navarone, written by Alistair MacLean. I downloaded the audiobook and listened to it to understand how the movie adaptation varied from the book. The book and movie are very different. I prefer the book.

Tonight, I’m cooking an Irish stew. I’m not sure if there is an authentic approach to an Irish stew. As far as I know, it needs root vegetables and lamb or mutton. It’s an excellent way to avoid wasting some vegetables in the refrigerator.

Recipe

Equipment

  • Skillet
  • Pressure cooker
  • Saucepan

Ingredients

  • Lamb forequarter chops
  • Potato
  • Carrot
  • Onion
  • Celery
  • Daikon
  • Parsley
  • Spring onions
  • Fennel
  • Wombok
  • Plain flour
  • Butter
  • Worcestershire sauce[1-3]
  • Vegetable stock
  • Red wine

Instructions

Stew

  1. Caramelise the lamb in a hot skillet and set aside while cutting the vegetables.
  2. Cut the potato, carrot, onion, celery, daikon, fennel, and Wombok into chunks. Tear apart the parsley and spring onions.
  3. Pour the vegetable stock, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce into the pressure cooker.
  4. Add the vegetables and then the lamb.
  5. Cook under pressure for 45 minutes.
  6. Strain the solids with a colander and pour the eluted cooking liquor into a jug.
  7. Make a roux with the flour and butter. Slowly add the cooking liquor and make gravy.
  8. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to your liking.

Plating up

  1. Spoon into a large bowl some of the meat and vegetables.
  2. Ladle over the meat and vegetables the gravy.
  3. Thanks to the Lord for the food, wages to buy food, and the skills to cook the food.
  4. Eat with a fork and spoon.

Thoughts on the meal

I wasn’t quite sure what to cook today. When I got to the supermarket and saw the lamb forequarter chops, the idea of a stew started to form in my mind.

At one stage, I considered using a stick blender, processing the vegetables, and making soup. Having some chunky appealed more to me tonight.

This is a functional meal; it was filling and tasted good.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like Irish stew?
  • What books have you recently read/listened to?
  • If a movie is made from a book, do you usually prefer the movie or the book?

Photographs

This is a gallery of pictures.

Irish stew
Irish stew
Irish stew
Irish stew

This photo is my lunch. I mixed some celery, spring onions, tomato, and red onion with cheese and had it with corn chips.

Corn chips with melted cheese and vegetables

References

1.         Murphy, K.J., Worcestershire sauce and the kidney. Med J Aust, 1971. 1(21): p. 1119-21.

2.         Murphy, K.J., Bilateral renal calculi and aminoaciduria after excessive intake of Worcestershire sauce.Lancet, 1967. 2(7512): p. 401-3.

3.         Holmes, G., Worcestershire sauce and the kidneys. Br Med J, 1971. 3(5768): p. 252.