Dusting of the cobwebs; Barbacoa Beef

Well its been a while, a long while since I have written on this little blog of mine. I think I just got a bit disenchanted with the whole "blogging thing". I went through a bit of a tough time at the end of 2015 - I stopped cooking, I stopped writing and I found it very difficult to find joy in anything let alone nourishing my body. 

But life has seasons and I feel the sun on my face more now. I feel hopeful about life and about the future. Life is good and my love of food and cooking is burning bright. My fingers itch to share recipes and at the end of the day this is all I want this space to be - somewhere for me to share my recipes and my thoughts from my little kitchen. I'm not interested in numbers, shares, likes what I care about is the people who have said "I tried your recipe and we still make it regularly" (thanks Lia) and then a very dear friend (Hi Lucinda!) sent me a really lovely message about my blog just as I was about ready to shut it down completely and it has stayed with me...

So who knows how long this will last... we shall see!

Its good to be back 

This is my recipe for Barbacoa Beef which is so tender and so flavourful - its my favourite thing to put in a Taco!

Barbacoa Beef 

1350g beef stewing steak, cut into chunks 

2 tbsp coconut oil 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tbsp chipotle chilli paste (I got mine from Sainsburys)

2 small green chillies, finely chopped 

1 small onion, chopped 

juice of 2 limes 

2 tbsp cider vinegar

3 bay leaves 

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp oregano 

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

500ml beef stock

300ml mexican / spanish beer 

brown off the meat in the oil and then add all the other ingredients into the pan. you can the transfer this to a slow cooker and put on low for 5-7 hours or just leave on a low heat for 3-4 hours. its ready when the beef is tender and most of the liquid has gone. using two forks shred the beef and let the beef soak up the remaining juices. remove the bay leaves and serve the beef in a taco with a bit of salad and avocado  

Valentines Day Main Course........ { Boeuf Bourguignon}

 

No I haven't gone all unhealthy on you but if ever there was a time to indulge in some rich food then cooking your main for Valentines Day would be it. This is a favourite of mine that I developed over the years, it was also the first recipe I did for my magazine food column.  It's a winner and bound to make your beloved fall even more madly in love with you, food does that don't you know?! This does require some time to cook but once you’ve spent a little time on prepping you can just leave this to bubble gently on the stove whilst you get on with more important things...

 

 Boeuf Bourguignon

1kg chuck or shin of beef cut into large pieces – this is important so it doesn’t break down in the cooking process
20 Shallots, peeled
30 button mushrooms – I used chestnut button mushrooms
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
150g streaky bacon, cut into short strips
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
Bottle of red wine – French is best here; a Burgundy works well but I have also made it with a Merlot
300 – 400ml beef stock, add 300ml to start and then add more if you need to

firstly, the night before you need to marinate the beef in the wine and herbs (not the garlic) and use the marinade as the cooking liquor - this will add a depth of flavour to the dish. toss the beef in a little seasoned flour and then colour the meat in a little oil and butter – make sure you use a heavy based casserole dish or pan.  remove the beef and then add the shallots and cook for around 5 minutes, until they go slightly golden, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further few minutes. remove them from the pan and set aside. add a little more oil to the pan if needed and add in the onion and bacon. once they have browned slightly add the beef to the pan along with the garlic, stock and the wine and herbs. season and then simmer on a very low heat for around 1 ½ hrs – alternatively, you could pop it in the oven at around 140°C for the same amount of time. add the shallots and mushrooms and cook for a further 30 minutes. i served this with my homemade dauphinoise potatoes and baby carrots which worked well. you could actually make the whole dish the day before and just heat it up for 30 minutes or so before you need it – a bourguignon that has mellowed overnight is a tasty dish indeed! 

 

Linking up with the lovely Miriam for the "Lets Grow Together" series - Welcome to my blog!