| Beef Recipes from Trevor Hopkins (email) | |||
| Beef Casserole | Chilli con Carne | Roast Beef | Pan-fried Steak |
| Peppered Steak | Italian Steak | . | |
| Recipe Alphabetical Index | Recipe Contents Page | ||
A selection of my favourite recipes made with beef. You may also want to read some of my chicken recipes, or my barbecue recipe for Marinated Steaks. I have a separate page for dishes made with other meats.
Beef Casserole
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This is one of those recipes that I learned at my Mother's Knee (and, with apologies to Tom Lehrer (more), other low joints...). The term "casserole" referes to the style of cooking as well as the cooking pot itself. A casserole is a covered earthenware dish in which foods are cooked. The secret of all these kinds of dishes is long, long cooking times at low oven temperatures. So, obviously, you need a suitable dish. I prefer a proper earthenware one, will a well-fitting lid and a small hole for steam. Of course, there are all sorts of other kinds, including cast iron and Pyrex. I like to use good-quality stewing steak, cut into chunks about 3/4 inch on a side. A little over a pound makes a decent meal for four people. Note that none of the ingredients are fried before putting in the casserole - recipe books often refer to "browning" the meat in a little fat beforehand - but I find that the meat is more tender if it is not cooked separately. Wash the steak and put it in the casserole dish. Slice coarsely (this means big pieces, and nothing to do with swearing!) a large onion, and chuck that in too. Peel a couple of carrots and slice into rounds (or use whole baby carrots), and add these to the pot. You might try other root vegetables - baby turnips work well - or perhaps a few mushrooms, washed but otherwise left whole. The meat and vegetables need to be completely covered by liquid. You could use a beef stock cube dissolved in boiling water. I also like to add a little "something extra" - a splash of sherry or red wine perhaps, or a larger quantity of dark beer (not lager!). I find bottled or canned Guinness works well, and then of course you'll have to drink the rest of the bottle! |
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Now, the seasoning. Classically, this dish would be flavoured with a bouquet garni (usually a combination of parsley, thyme and bay leaf) - these days, its easy to use the herb "teabags", so that the larger herbs can be removed before the dish is served. Alternatively, you could just add ground herbs: coriander and bay leaf makes a good combination. Finally add lots of freshly ground black pepper and a little salt.
Cover the dish carefully, and place in an oven at 180C (Gas Mark 5) for a couple of hours. You could cook this for even longer at lower temperatures.
This dish needs thickening to make a really nice gravy. These days, I use cornflour, since Tracey is allergic to wheat. After a couple of hours, remove the casserole from the oven, and add a couple of heaped teaspoons of cornflour already stirred into half a cup of cold water. Stir in the thickening, and return the casserole to the oven for another half-hour. (This is the time you should be putting on the potatoes to boil.)
Serve the casserole straight from the pot at the table, with lashings of mashed potatoes to soak up the gravy.
Chilli con Carne [ top ]
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Another old favourite - apparently, this translates from the Spanish as Chilli with Meat. No claims for authenticity, of course, but this dish works well for an informal dinner. This is also a dish which can be made in larger quantities and then frozen - excellent for a quick dinner when one gets in late from work. This is best cooked in a large saucepan with a non-stick lining - using a frying pan tends to mean bits of onion all over the cooker... Put two tablespoons of vegetable oil in the saucepan, and add a large finely-sliced onion. Cook gently for a few minutes, until the onion is soft but not brown. You may also wish to add one or two large, mild peppers, finely chopped. Then, add a pound or so of lean minced beef - I like to use the "extra-lean" minced steak you can get from the supermarkets these days, just to keep down the saturated fat intake. You may also like to add a few button mushrooms, halved or chopped. Cook the beef, stiring frequently to make sure all the meat is broken up and cooked through. Then, add a couple of tablespoons of Chilli powder from the spice rack. Stir in and cook for a minute or so. Now, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, juice and all, and make sure the tomatoes are thoroughly mixed in. I like to add the juice of a lemon and some freshly-ground black pepper at this point. You may want to add some salt, too, but this depends on whether the tinned tomatoes contain any salt. |
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Let the chilli bubble away gently for ten minutes. Meanwhile, open a tin of red kidney beans, and drain the liquid away. Do this by putting the entire contents of the tin in a sieve, and rinsing under the cold water tap for a few moments. Add the drained beans to the chilli, and stir gently, trying not to break up the beans too much. Simmer for another five or ten minutes.
The chilli may not need any thickening, especially if you like it a little runny. If you want to make the sauce a little thicker, then put a heaped teaspoon of cornflour in a small bowl or cup and mix with a couple of fluid ounces of water. Stir the cornflour mix into the chilli, making sure it all gets properly heated through.
Serve in bowls, perhaps with my flavoured rice and a cool beer or two. Baked potatoes also work well.
Roast Beef [ top ]
This is another one of those traditional dishes which seem so straightforward, but where the success is in the details. My preference is for quite long, slow cooking, so that the meat is well-done all the way through, without becoming dry.
I prefer to use a rolled and boned joint, so that it is easy to carve. Wash the meat, and put on a trivit in a roasting pan. (Using a trivit ensures that the meat does not rest in the cooking juices.) Pour a splash of cooking oil over the meat, and sprinkle with a generous quantity of freshly-ground black pepper and a little salt.
Boil a kettle of water, and pour a quarter of a pint into the botton of the roasting pan. This helps to prevent the meat from drying out. Put in a pre-heated oven at 180C (Gas Mark 5) for 25 minutes per pound weight, plus an extra twenty-five minutes.
Once the meat is cooked, remove from the oven and put on a warmed carving dish. Keep warm for ten or so minutes - you can use aluminium foil to cover the meat while it rests. The juices from the pan can be used to make gravy.
Carve at the table into really thin slices. Make sure your carving knife is really sharp! Serve with Roast Potatoes and Cauliflower Cheese, or perhaps just microwaved peas.
Pan-fried Steak [ top ]
This approach to cooking steaks works well with the more delicate cuts, like fillet, where there is very little fat in the meat. The approach to using Red Vermouth to finish was suggested during a recent visit to a steak house in Forth Worth, Texas.
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For this, you need a large, non-stick frying pan. Put it on the stove and get it really hot. Add a tablespoon (no more) of medium-grade olive oil. While the pan is heating, wash the steaks and put on a plate. Sprinkle one side with a little finely-ground black pepper and a very little salt. Slap the steaks into the hot pan, pepper side down, and add more salt and pepper to the upper surface. Cook for four minutes (for medium-rare, more if you want your meat well-done) and turn over with a spatula, and cook for another four (or more..) minutes. Once the steaks are cooked to your liking, simply add a couple of tablespoons (also known technically as 'a splash') of Red Vermouth (such as Martini Rosso). This should bubble up and coat the meat in a rich dark layer (a demi-glase). Flip over the meat, add another splash and coat the other side. Serve immediately. Serve with green salad and french fried potatoes. |
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Peppered Steak [ top ]
The recipe was recommended by my son Sebastian, who recently demonstrated how it should done properly. This one works best with Aberdeen Angus sirloins and other cuts where the meat has plenty of natural fat.
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Put a heaped teaspoon of black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar. Crack the corns only - do not grind them into a fine powder. (This is the reason for using a pestle and mortar, rather than a pepper grinder. Wash the meat, and place it on a plate. Sprinkle one side with half of the cracked peppercorns, using a flat spatula to press then into the surface of the meat. No salt is required. Get a flat (not ribbed) griddle really hot. Or, you could use a large, heavy-based frying pan. Use just a half-teaspoon of vegetable oil to grease the surface of the pan or griddle. |
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Put the steaks on the griddle, pepper side down. Sprinkle the upper surface with the remaining cracked peppercorns. Cook on one side for five minutes (for medium - adjust accordingly for rare or well-done), then turn the steaks over carefully. Cook on the other side for a further four minutes, then serve.
This works well with Lyonnaise Potatoes and perhaps a green salad.
Italian Steak [ top ]
This is a dish which was prepared for Tracey and myself in a tiny restaurant during our trip to Tuscany a few years ago. I've re-created it for home cooking.
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This works well with fillet steak. You will need a piece of about 6 ounces for each person. Wash the meat and trim off any large pieces of fat. Place on a plate and sprinkle one side with freshly-ground black pepper and a little salt. Use a heavy-based frying pan with a deep lip (to minimise splattering) and big enough to take all of the steaks in one go. Add a splash of olive oil (a cheap grade will do) and then get it really hot on the stove. When the oil is smoking, toss in the steaks, pepper-side down. Sizzle! Sprinkle the upper surface of the meat with more black pepper and salt. Cook for four minutes for medium, less for rare. While the steaks are cooking, grate some parmesan cheese - about 1/3 an ounce for each person. Flip over the steaks and cook for 1 minute. Then add a few drops of good-quality balsamic vinegar. I am currently using a particularly nice Italian cherry balsamic which we bought in a little shop in Lucca on a trip to Tuscany. Top each steak with some of the grated cheese. Cook for another 4 minutes - the cheese should have melted thoroughly. |
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Scoop the steaks onto warmed plates and drizzle the last of the cooking juices over the top. Serve with Lyonnaise Potatoes (or perhaps creamy mashed potatoes) and asparagus (or other microwaved vegetables).
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