Braised beef shin with orzo

Serves 2

500g Beef leg / shin
2 tbsp plain flour
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
150ml port
300ml beef stock
2 tomatoes, chopped
150g orzo
zest and juice of ½ lemon
small bunch of parsley, chopped

1. Pre-heat the oven (180°C / 160°C Fan / Gas 4). Season the flour with plenty of salt and pepper and dust the beef shins to coat all over.

2. Heat the oil in an oven proof casserole, over a medium heat and brown the beef all over, remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the onion, carrot celery and garlic, reduce the heat , cover and cook for 7 mins until the vegetables start to soften without colouring.

4. Return the beef to the pan along with the port, stock and tomatoes, cover and bake in the oven for 2½-3 hours.

5. Cook the orzo as per pack instructions, drain and mix with the lemon juice and zest and the parsley, divide between two plates, top each with a beef shin and top with the remaining sauce.

(adapted from Olive Magazine - September 2013)

Pan-fried sea bass with citrus-dressed broccoli

Serves 2

2 sea bass fillets, about 140g each (see tips, below)
1 small head of broccoli
1 orange
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp small capers
6 anchovies, roughly chopped
1 lemon

1. Before you start cooking, get everything prepared. Trim each sea bass fillet so they are both the same shape, then score the skin, cutting into the flesh slightly, 5 or 6 times at about 1cm intervals. Set aside.

2. Segment the orange – slice off the top and bottom, then cut away the skin and pith. Cut away each segment, then squeeze out the juice from the rest of the orange into a bowl. Cut the broccoli into medium-size florets.

3. To make the warm broccoli salad, cook the florets in a pan of boiling salted water for 1 min until just cooked. While the broccoli is cooking, put a frying pan on to heat. As soon as the broccoli is cooked, drain it, then tip straight into the hot frying pan to ‘scorch’ out all the moisture.

4. Turn off the heat, then scatter the orange segments over the broccoli. Toss for a few moments just to heat through, then tip into a bowl and dress with the orange juice and 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with pepper and a small sprinkling of sea salt, then set aside.

5. Wipe out the pan. Season the fish with a little salt and pepper just before cooking. Heat the frying pan until very hot, then add 2 tbsp oil. Lay the fish fillets in the pan, skin-side down. As soon as it goes in, press each fillet down with your fingers or a fish slice to stop it from curling up.

6. Reduce the heat to medium, then leave the fish to cook for 3-4 mins, undisturbed, until you can see that the flesh has cooked two-thirds of the way up and the skin is crisp and brown.

7. Flip the fillets over, then fry on the flesh side for about 2 mins until just done, basting the skin with the oil in the pan as it cooks. Leave to rest on a warm plate, skin-side up, and baste with the hot oil and juices from the pan.

8. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan and place it back on a high heat. Scatter in the capers and anchovies, then cook until they start to crisp. Grate over the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice of ½ the lemon. If there isn’t enough juices in the pan to drizzle over both plates, add a splash more oil. You are now ready to plate up.

Nutrition per serving:
kcalories 528, protein 36g, carbs 10g, fat 39g, saturates 6g, fibre 4g, sugar 9g, salt 2.97g

(Good Food magazine, February 2009)

Summer squash soup

Serves 4

90g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
½tsp salt
1kg yellow summer squash, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
250g potato, peeled, halved,
1ltr chicken stock

1. Melt the butter in a wide, heavy bottomed pan over a low to medium heat, add the onion and ½tsp salt, stirring, until softened (but not browned) for about 8 minutes.

2. Add the squash, carrots, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Purée with a stick blender until smooth. Thin with water if desired; simmer 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning is required then serve immediately.

(adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Summer-Squash-Soup-with-Parsley-Mint-Pistou-235736)

Beetroot, sour cherry and red wine risotto

Serves 4-6

1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
175g dried sour cherries or cranberries
225ml fruity red wine, such as Valpolicella
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
½ tsp dried thyme
1 cloves garlic, finely chopped
350g risotto rice
1 tbsp dried thyme
4 cooked, fresh beetroot, diced
2 tbsp chopped dill
2 tbsp chopped chives
salt, pepper
60g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring the stock t the boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and keep simmering gently over a low heat while you are cooking the risotto.

2. Place the sour cherries in a saucepan with the wine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 mins until slightly reduced. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 mins or until just beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

4. reduce the heat, add the rice and mix to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 mins, or until the grains are translucent.

5. Gradually add the hot stock, a ladle at a time. Stir constantly and add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition. Increase the heat to medium so that the liquid bubbles. Cook for 20 mins, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy.

6. Halfway through the risotto cooking time, remove the cherries from the wine with a slotted spoon and add to the risotto with the beetroot and half the wine. Continue adding the stock and the remaining wine.

7. Stir in the dill and chives and Parmesan and season to taste. Serve immediately.

(Marks & Spencer: Risotto - Clive Tring)

Romanesco cauliflower risotto

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove galic, crushed

100g Arborio rice

125ml vermouth

1 small Romanesco cauliflower, broken into florets

600ml chicken stock

3tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauté pan over a low heat, add the onion, cover and sweat for 5-10 mins until the onion is softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

2. Place the cauliflower florets in a saucepan and cover with the stock, keeping hot over a low heat.

3. Add the rice to the onion and garlic and stir to coat each grain in the oil. Cook for about 2 mins until the rice starts to become translucent around the edges. Stir in the vermouth and cook until the liquid is almost fully absorbed.

4. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, allowing each to absorb almost fully. When all the stock is absorbed, tip in the florets and stir through. Add two tablespoons of the Parmesan and stir through. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

(©2013 Chez Dave)