Stifado (Greek Lamb Stew with Red Wine)

Ingredients: 

1-1.25 kg diced lamb

1/4 cup Olive oil , divided

2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes

1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

3 whole allspice

3 whole cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bay leaf

about 1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1.Pat meat dry with paper towels.

2. Heat three tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. In several batches, add lamb and brown on all sides (about five minutes per batch). Remove lamb.

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil.  Stir in onion and garlic and sauté until soft (about five minutes). 

4. Add tomato paste and stir until darkened.

5. Return lamb and add tomatoes, wine, vinegar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cumin, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. 

6. Bring to a boil, cover pot, and cook in a preheated 175°C oven (make sure your saucepan is oven-safe) or simmer over low heat until tender (about 1-1.5 hours).

7. Best served with rice or orzo.

*Serves 4-5

Pulled Brisket-Topped Latkes

Ingredients

For the brisket:

1 - 1.5 kg CKB beef brisket

1 Tbsp salt

½ Tbsp freshly grated black pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried parsley

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

1 can beer, like Urban Alley- Urban Ale

1 can ginger ale

1 bottle red wine

4 oz tomato paste

4 medium carrots, cut into medium size pieces

2 onions, cut into quarters

For the latkes:

12 medium-large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

4 small onions, or 1 medium-large onion, cut into large chunks

4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

¾ -1 cup flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ Tbsp salt

½ Tbsp pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

To make the brisket:

In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley. Spread dry rub on both sides of brisket evenly. Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot on medium high heat. Sear the brisket on both sides “until the smoke detector goes off.” Remove meat and set aside.

Using the remaining oil and “good bits” on the bottom of the pan, sauté carrots and onions, scraping the bottom until the veggies are soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Put the brisket back in the pan, and cover with the bottle of red wine, beer and ginger ale. Place the entire pot with brisket into the oven, and cook for at least 3-4 hours, until meat is completely tender.

When the meat is fork tender, remove the meat and set aside on a large cutting board.

Let the sludge rise to the top of the pot liquid and skim it off. Strain out the carrots and onions and using a food processor, blend them with 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid, then return the blended mixture to the rest of the liquid and simmer to reduce slightly.

On the cutting board using two forks, carefully shred the brisket into small strands. Add 1-2 cups of the pureed cooking liquid to the pulled brisket for additional moisture and flavour.

Serve in a large bowl and allow guests to top latkes, or spoon small amounts of brisket on each latke for a more elegant presentation.

To make the latkes:

Using the shredding attachment of a food processor or a hand grater, coarsely grate potatoes, onions and garlic. Place in a large bowl.

Add flour, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until completely combined. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes. Drain excess liquid.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Using your hands, make a small latke patty and squeeze out excess liquid again. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on wire cooling rack placed on a baking sheet, which you can place in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Photo and recipe from My Jewish Learning

Middle Eastern Eggs

You will need:

1 brown onion, diced

5 CKB Succuk, coarsely chopped

Splash of red wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tin chickpeas, drained

1 tin kidney beans, drained

2 springs of thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

Handful of parsley, finely chopped

8 Eggs

Method:

1. Fry onion until soft, in a pot, deep frying pan or Dutch oven - you will require a lid if you are cooking the eggs in this dish.

2. Add Succuk and fry until both the Succuk and onion have browned.

3. Add minced garlic, and stir through dish, frying for an additional 2 minutes.

4. Add a generous splash of red wine vinegar, stirring intermittently, and cook off until liquid has evaporated, scraping any deliciously sticky residue from the bottom of the pot as this gives a wonderful flavour.

5. Stir in chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, kidney beans, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Simmer for 15-20 minutes on low. Stir in most of the parsley when stew is cooked.

7. If opting to cook the eggs in this dish, make small wells in the stew, and crack eggs into wells. Place lid on dish, and simmer very lightly, until eggs are cooked how you like them. Alternatively, fry, scramble or poach eggs in a separate dish.

8. Divide evenly into 4 dishes. If eggs are cooked separately, place them atop the breakfast stew.

9. Sprinkle some more of the chopped parsley over the eggs. Serve with thick, toasted Sourdough, or oven warmed Pita.

* Serves 4

Pickled Beef Brisket (Corned Beef)

Ingredients:

1 Pickled Beef Brisket

zest of 1 Orange

2 cloves Garlic -squashed

10 Black Peppercorns -squashed

2 Bay Leaves

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Malt Vinegar

2 sprigs of Thyme

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a pot and cover with water.

2. Bring to simmer and reduce heat for 2-3 hours until tender. Skewer should pierce meat easily but have some resistance in removing.

3. Rest for 10 mins and slice across the grain.

4. Serve with mashed potatoes, mustard or horseradish and a stout.

Beef and Ale Pie

You will Need:

1 parsnip (diced)

2 carrots (diced)

3 potatoes (diced)

1 large spring of rosemary

1 egg beaten with 1/2 cup soy milk

Olive oil

4 sheets puff pastry

1 CKB beef goulash

plain flour

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

2 garlic cloves (minced)

375ml Urban Alley Melbourne Breaky Stout or any beer of your choice

2 cups beef stock

Method:

1. Flour the meat and sauté in olive oil for 3 minutes in an ovenproof, lidded pot until brown. Set aside.

2. Add more olive oil and sauté onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic, and continue to sauté until brown. Sprinkle a little more flour over mixture & continue sautéing.

3. Add the beer and stock. Stir. Return meat to pot, and stir in the diced vegetables.

4. Cover pot with lid, and place in low oven at 130°C for at least 2 hours.

5. Prepare pastry for either 2 large pie dishes, or 6-8 small pie dishes, cutting out circles, (remember tops small, bottoms large) to required size. Grease pie dishes and lay pastry bottoms.

6. Remove meat from oven, and spoon meat mixture into pastry. Brush edges with egg wash (egg and soy milk mixture) and cover filling with smaller pastry tops, pressing around the edges with a fork to seal.

7. Brush the pie tops with egg wash, and make a few small slits with a sharp knife. They can be frozen at this stage for a meal another day or placed in the oven for 15-20 mins on 180°C to cook.

Extra:

• Decorate with leaves or a shamrock shaped from leftover pastry, or sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.

• Best enjoyed with a Urban Alley Dangler

• The beef mixture also makes a sensational stew, great with crusty bread.

Lamb and Barley Soup (Scotch Broth)

You will need:

8 CKB Lamb Necks

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large chopped onion

4 cloves crushed garlic

2 diced carrots

2 sticks diced celery

2 large diced potatoes

2 litres beef stock

2 litres water

3/4 cup pearl barley

1 tbs chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbs chopped fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and brown lamb necks. Remove and set aside. Add onions, crushed garlic, carrots, potatoes and celery to the saucepan, and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly brown.

2. Return the necks to the pan and add beef stock, water, pearl barley, thyme and rosemary. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered for 3 hours.

3. Remove the necks and cool slightly. Take the meat off the bone and flake into pieces. Return the meat to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

*serve 6

Vietnamese Pho

You will need:

1 kg CKB round beef bola (all fat & sinew trimmed)

2 litres Beef Pho Stock*

1/2 tsp brown sugar

350g thick, rice noodles

2 cups bean sprouts

1 cup Thai basil leaves (roughly chopped)

1 cup fresh coriander (roughly chopped)

3 red chillies (thinly sliced)

2 green spring onions (thinly sliced)

Juice of lime (or more to taste)

Method:

1. Wrap the beef in cling wrap and place in freezer about an hour before you plan on heating the soup. This will make it easy to cut wafer thin slices later.

2. Heat Beef Pho Stock*. Add the sugar and dissolve.

3. Place noodles in heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for a few minutes to soften.

4. Cut thin slices of the beef as desired, and add to simmering stock just before removing from heat. Add lime juice once pot removed from heat, in order to retain the fresh citrus taste.

5. Spoon soup into bowls, add noodles and sprinkle with spring onion. Then divide chillies, coriander, basil and bean sprouts evenly, and sprinkle into the 6 bowls before serving.

*Serves 6

Extra:

• Add chilli paste if you really want to clear the sinuses!

• Beef slices can be as rare or as well done as desired, by simmering it in the stock fore more or less time.

• To boost the ‘veggie value,’ try adding Chinese broccoli, sliced pak choy, or some enoki mushrooms.

*Beef Pho Stock:

1.5-2kg beef bones or oxtails

8cm piece of Ginger

4 Star anise

1 small cinnamon quill

3 cloves

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp peppercorns

1 peeled onion, halved

Grill ginger and onion till caramelised. Smash a little with pestle or the back of a knife. Then, along with other ingredients add to large pot. Cover with 3.5 litres water. Bring to the boil. Reduce to low heat, and simmer for 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight, and then skim off too.

Moroccan Beef Tajine

You Will Need:

1.5kg CKB Beef Goulash

1 chopped onion

1 bunch fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 chilli, chopped

1 tin chickpeas

1 large tin crushed tomatoes

8 prunes (halved and pitted)

8 dates (halved and pitted)

8 dried apricots (halved)

1 tbsp lemon zest, finely chopped

3/4 cup * chopped flat leaf parsley

olive oil

salt

Method:

1. Sauté onions and garlic gently in olive oil. Add beef to seal for a minute only before adding thyme, chilli, chickpeas and crushed tomatoes and enough water to cover. Cook, covered, on a very low stove top, or at 150°C in the oven for 2.5 hours.

2. In the last half hour of cooking, stir in the fruits.

3. Serve over fluffy couscous and don’t forget to sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the top.

Serving suggestion - serve with hummus, Israeli salad and flat bread such as Malawach for a Middle Eastern feast

• Serves 8