Winter warmers!
30 pages of magic mince, beef in red wine, Julie Goodwin’s hearty gnocchi, great baking and more
Potatoes Anna SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR
100g butter, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1.2kg desiree potatoes, peeled
1 Preheat oven to 240°C (220°C fanforced). Lightly oil a shallow 26cm round ovenproof frying pan or 2-litre/8-cup capacity baking dish.
2 Put the butter into a small saucepan over a low heat. With the side of a large knife, crush garlic cloves; add to butter. When butter has melted, remove from the heat and season lightly with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
3 Using a sharp knife, mandolin or
V-slicer, cut potatoes into 2mm slices.
Pat slices dry with paper towel. Place a single layer of the potato slices, slightly overlapping, into the baking dish; brush potato with a little of the butter. Continue layering the remaining potato and butter; cover dish with foil.
4 Bake potato for 20 minutes. Remove the foil; using a metal spatula, press down on potato to gently compress it.
5 Reduce oven temperature to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden, and potato is tender. Cut into wedges to serve. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.
Peas with onion and lettuce SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 20 MINUTES
500g frozen baby peas
12 (300g) baby or pickling onions, peeled 1 fresh curly parsley sprig
2 fresh thyme sprigs
½ cup (125ml) white wine
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 baby (180g) cos lettuce, torn
50g butter, chopped
1 Put the peas and onions into a medium heavy-based saucepan with the herbs and wine. Bring to the boil; boil for 1 minute.
2 Reduce heat; simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove herbs; stir in salt and lettuce. Cook for a minute or until lettuce is wilted. Add butter; stir until melted. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.
Beef in red wine SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 4 HOURS
250g speck or pancetta, chopped 1 medium (150g) brown onion, chopped 1 medium (120g) carrot, chopped 2 trimmed (200g) stalks celery, sliced 4 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
10 (250g) French shallots, peeled, halved 2 tablespoons duck fat (see Michele’s tips) 2kg stewing beef, trimmed, cut into 6cm pieces (see Michele’s tips)
⅓ cup (80ml) brandy
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 whole cloves
2 strips orange rind
2 cups (500ml) red wine
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
2 bunches baby carrots, trimmed, scrubbed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh curly parsley 1 Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). 2 Heat a large cast iron casserole over medium heat. Cook the speck, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until fat has rendered and speck is golden brown. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables have softened.
3 Meanwhile, heat duck fat in a large frying pan. Cook beef in batches until well browned all over, transferring beef to casserole as you go. When all beef is browned, add brandy to frying pan; bring to the boil, scraping dark pieces from base of pan. Pour liquid into casserole; stir to combine beef and vegetables.
4 Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, rind, wine and stock. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, then wrap a sheet of foil around the lid area to ensure the dish is well sealed.
5 Cook beef for 3 hours. Remove from oven. Add carrots; cover. Cook for a further 30 minutes or until beef and carrots are tender. Season; sprinkle with parsley.
6 Serve beef with Potatoes Anna and
Peas with Onion and Lettuce or mashed potato and steamed greens, if you prefer. Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.