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Post by magnarc on Jul 14, 2023 13:23:27 GMT 10
Hi Mike, since you have a quote from Cromwell as your signature, I thought that this may be of interest.I am related to him through his wife Elizabeth. It"s an outside connection, but I have just looked in our family tree, (goes back to 1540) and I reckon I am around nine times removed!! As you know my fathers family were all from the Ely/Littleport area and Ollie had a house in Ely which we visited about ten yrs ago. I have a pic of me in one of his hats, very becoming!
Another interesting note is that dear old dad who drove steam locomotives for BR, the engine that was the last one he drove before he retired was named Oliver Cromwell. Have any of our posters researched their family tree? if so, what did you find? Love to hear some tales of yore.
Tried to find that pic of me in the hat, no luck at the moment.
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Post by Mike Harding on Jul 16, 2023 14:54:58 GMT 10
OC was a very smart chap and changed the social/political direction of, what is now, the Western World. I love that quote in my sig. from him; no matter how certain you are you could still be wrong. Sage advice. My Uncle Bob (second cousin really) who farmed all his life near Boston (UK) knew all about the family history. I wish now that I had made a formal record of his tales recounting all the times our family came close to (but never quite achieved) greatness  By God he lived a hard life on the Fens of East Anglia; many's the time I've been out duck shooting on the fens in winter when the wind off the Russian Steps nearly cuts you in two! Somewhere there is a photograph of me as a five year old standing between Bob's legs and holding the scythe as he was harvesting the corn. No mechanical tools, all done by hand. |
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Post by magnarc on Jul 17, 2023 12:08:14 GMT 10
When you refer to Boston Mike I recall going down to Boston from Cleethorpes just to buy new potatoes, never had anything like them since! We used to get them from the farms who advertised on the roadside. We would stop at a roadhouse on the way back for a egg and bacon sandwich. Grub had a lot of taste in those days, ah well..........
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santa
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Post by santa on Jul 18, 2023 9:51:30 GMT 10
Grub had a lot of taste in those days, ah well.......... Morning Magnarc.
It still does (have a lot of taste) if you cook at home using quality ingredients, the results are well worth the time and effort.
Food and wine are one of the pleasures still available to me so I/we make the most of them. |
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Post by magnarc on Jul 18, 2023 11:11:59 GMT 10
Grub had a lot of taste in those days, ah well.......... Morning Magnarc.
It still does (have a lot of taste) if you cook at home using quality ingredients, the results are well worth the time and effort.
Food and wine are one of the pleasures still available to me so I/we make the most of them. G'day Santa, yep I totally agree but, as an old feller who was brought up on meat and three veg with Yorkshire pud I find it difficult to change, but have recently been trying some Italian and Vietnamese cooking which I liked. SWMBO cannot eat spicy foods which limits us in a way unless I cook two separate meals which is a bit of a chore.
We have a lot of very good restaurants here in Melbourne eastern suburbs and we try to sample them when the budget allows, but if the power bills keep rising as they are, we will be doing a lot less eating out as will a lot of others I imagine. Mate, if you have a couple of recipes that you think we can handle, would love to give them a try.
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santa
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Post by santa on Jul 18, 2023 12:47:53 GMT 10
Beef Stoganoff is a favorite of ours Magnarc, usually double the recipe and freeze half, great served with egg noodles, sour cream really finishes it off.
With quality beef being expensive the quantity required helps the budget.
Not very spicy.
Bit of preparation involved, not as complex/time consuming as it looks.
Let me know if it interests you.
This is another recipe from Nagi at TinEats, will post link at bottom.
RECIPE VIDEO ABOVE. Juicy strips of beef smothered in a sour cream mushroom gravy - a quick dinner everyone will love! KEY STEPS: Sear beef super quickly for maximum juiciness and use a large skillet (for quick sear + fast sauce reduction). Stroganoff calls for good beef but if you only have a budget cut, use this easy Chinese method to tenderise the beef (it's called "velveting"). It's life changing - and perfect for Stroganoff.
Ingredients
▢ 600 g / 1.2 lb scotch fillet steak / boneless rib eye (Note 1)
▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil , divided
▢ 1 large onion (or 2 small onions), sliced
▢ 300 g / 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (not too thin)
▢ 40 g / 3 tbsp butter
▢ 2 tbsp flour (Note 2)
▢ 2 cups / 500 ml beef broth , preferably salt reduced
▢ 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
▢ 150 ml / 2/3 cup sour cream
▢ Salt and pepper
Serving:
▢ 250 - 300 g / 8 - 10 oz pasta or egg noodles of choice (Note 3)
▢ Chopped chives , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Use your fist (or rolling pin or mallet) to flatten the steaks to about 3/4cm / 1/3" thick. Slice into 5mm / 1/5" strips (cut long ones in half), discarding excess fat.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Scatter half the beef in the skillet, QUICKLY spread it with tongs. Leave untouched for 30 seconds until browned. Turn beef quickly (as best you can!). Leave untouched for 30 seconds to brown. Immediately remove onto a plate. Don't worry about pink bits and that it will be raw inside.
Add remaining 1 tbsp oil and repeat with remaining beef.
Turn heat down to medium high. Add butter, melt. Then add onions, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms.
Cook mushrooms until golden. Scrape bottom of fry pan to get all the golden bits off (this is flavour!).
Add flour, cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add half the broth while stirring. Once incorporated, add remaining broth.
Stir, then add sour cream and mustard. Stir until incorporated (don't worry if it looks split, sour cream will "melt" as it heats).
Bring to simmer ,then reduce heat to medium low. Once it thickens to the consistency of pouring cream (3 - 5 minutes), adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Add beef back in (including plate juices). Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from stove immediately. (Note 4)
Serve over pasta or egg noodles, sprinkled with chives if desired.
Recipe Notes:
1. Best cut of beef for stroganoff - use decent to good quality quick cooking cut of beef such as:
boneless rib eye (aka scotch fillet)
boneless sirloin, sirloin steak tips
beef tenderloin
I don't recommend: beef round steak (aka topside), skirt, flat iron, hanger.
Pork can also be used - pork stroganoff is found in Russia too.
Tenderise ECONOMICAL BEEF - if you do not have a good quality steak, highly recommend tenderising it using this easy Chinese method called "velveting". It's life changing! Reader the user feedback in that recipe for validation 🙂
2. Flour - any is fine here, I use plain white flour (all purpose). Or use 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour (for Gluten free stroganoff sauce)
3. Serving - I like serving this with short pastas, rather than long pastas. Easier to eat. It's also great with mashed potato, rice, polenta - anything that's suitable to slop up all that gravy!
4. Sauce thickness: You can make sauce thinner with touch of water if you want, but DO NOT keep simmering to thicken once the beef is added, it will overcook the beef.
5. Storage - 3 to 4 days in the fridge, also freezes fine. Thaw fully then reheat carefully, being sure not to overcook the beef!
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings (serves 4 hearty servings or 5 sensible servings), excludes pasta.
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Post by magnarc on Jul 21, 2023 9:20:42 GMT 10
Hi Santa, have just been shopping and have the ingredients for your recipe. Will be cooking it up on Saturday. Sounds yummy! Many thanks for your efforts.
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santa
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Post by santa on Jul 21, 2023 10:38:32 GMT 10
Hi Santa, have just been shopping and have the ingredients for your recipe. Will be cooking it up on Saturday. Sounds yummy! Many thanks for your efforts. Morning Magnarc,
Believe it or not i cooked it for dinner last night, my wife picked up the meat etc yesterday, from Aldi, (fillet steak) the end result was as usual, very tasty, however the steak was as tough as old boots.
As Nagi comments, use quality steak, and, DONT overcook it, I sear it on both sides (very rare) then slice into strips and add to the pan juices and all, and simmer for a couple of minutes prior to serving, I'll say it again DONT OVERCOOK IT, sadly the best technique in the world wont save poor quality meat.
First and last time I buy steak from Aldi.
As an aside, I've found Aldi pork to be excellent, you live and learn.
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Post by arewelost on Jul 21, 2023 23:23:46 GMT 10
Santa, it looks like a nice recipe. And I agree that the choice of meat is important. I like my steaks done similarly to what you say .... sear it on the outside with high heat, but only just enough to keep the inside pink. I never considered doing the same in a casserole type dish. I will give it a try.
Normally, when doing a casserole, my choice of cut is chuck steak. It's tough but more flavoursome than the prime cuts we are familiar with. But when slow cooked or pressure cooked it becomes more tender than fillet, yet retains that flavour and holds together for good texture.
It will be interesting to compare.
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santa
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Post by santa on Jul 22, 2023 10:25:51 GMT 10
Santa, it looks like a nice recipe. And I agree that the choice of meat is important. I like my steaks done similarly to what you say .... sear it on the outside with high heat, but only just enough to keep the inside pink. I never considered doing the same in a casserole type dish. I will give it a try. Normally, when doing a casserole, my choice of cut is chuck steak. It's tough but more flavoursome than the prime cuts we are familiar with. But when slow cooked or pressure cooked it becomes more tender than fillet, yet retains that flavour and holds together for good texture. It will be interesting to compare. I agree AWL, chuck steak is my go to for long slow cooking. |
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Post by magnarc on Jul 23, 2023 9:11:49 GMT 10
G'day Santa and AWL. Yesterday was the test of my culinary skills. It was a success and extremely tasty in spite of the fact that I forgot the Dijon mustard!!!. I have printed the recipe and it will be one for our friends when they visit. Many thanks Santa, and AWL just try it, you won't be disappointed. I have decided to be a little more adventurous with the cooking in future.
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santa
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Post by santa on Jul 23, 2023 9:56:51 GMT 10
Morning Magnarc, shame you forgot the mustard, it really finishes the dish off.
Pleased to hear you enjoyed it.
Will post another recipe for you in another thread, give Mike back his Cromwell thread.
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Post by magnarc on Jul 24, 2023 13:08:08 GMT 10
Sounds good to me.
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