NEW this month on our ‘foodie calendar’ is a Great British Beef Week, which runs from April 23-30. The aim is to celebrate the “iconic” flavours and versatility of British beef and the sustainable practices of beef farmers.
Thankfully, the National Beef Association website – nationalbeefassociation.com –
has some interesting recipes using every cut of beef imaginable…
so we offer you two of them.
Charlie’s Luxurious Fish Pie
Ingredients
Fish Stock500g fish bones
200g white onion
1 garlic clove
2 sticks of celery
1 lemon
1 tablespoon peppercorns
120ml white wine
1 litre of water
Fish Velouté50g butter
50g plain flour
500ml fish stock
1 bay leaf
50ml cream
Seasoning
Fish Pie Base300ml velouté
400g diced fish (we use salmon, haddock and smoked mackerel)
60g spinach
2 shallots finely diced
40g peas
5g dill
75ml white wine
Parmesan Mash500g Maris Piper potatoes
5tsp salt
50g butter
100ml milk
50ml cream
50g parmesan
Seasoning
Method
Fish Stock- Wash fish bones. In a pan with some oil, sweat off bones, then add vegetables and lemon, sweat down, then add pepper and wine, simmer for 5 minutes.
Add cold water and simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain. Reduce and put back on the stove and reduce by half. - Fish Velouté
- In a pan melt butter and add plain flour, cook till a sandy texture.
Slowly add fish stock. This will thicken when all ingredients are incorporated, add cream, season and set aside. - Fish Pie Base
- In a pan, sweat down shallots, add fish and seal. Deglaze with wine and reduce. Add velouté spinach and peas and finely chopped dill.
Check seasoning.
Place in oven dish. - Parmesan Mash
- Start by boiling the potatoes until tender. When you have mashed potatoes, heat milk and cream in another pan. Whisk/mix in the milk, then slowly add cubed butter and finish with parmesan. Pipe or spread on top of the fish pie and bake at 190deg for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Salad of beef tongue, green vegetables, wild garlic vinaigrette
4
servingsIngredients
320g of finely sliced cooked beef tongue
100g of wild garlic leaves
100g of olive oil
1 bunch of watercress
1 bunch of green asparagus
1 small head of broccoli
Juice of 1 lemon
4 small spring radish
40g parmesan shavings
Directions
- Prepare the wild garlic puree: Blanche the wild garlic leaves in boiling water and refresh by dipping in cold water. Remove excess water. Mix the olive oil with the wild garlic and pass through a fine sieve. Put aside.
- Prepare a vinaigrette with the lemon juice, the wild garlic puree and the wild garlic oil.
- Prepare the vegetables: Using a mandolin or a grater, finely grate the raw broccoli florets into rice-sized pieces. Wash the watercress and remove the excess water. Blanche the green asparagus in salted boiling water for 10 minutes and refresh in iced cold water. Slice each asparagus long ways in four.
- To finish: Use a plate for each person and spoon some of the wild garlic vinaigrette onto the centre of each plate. Arrange slices of beef tongue on each plate. Sprinkle the broccoli over the beef. Place the green asparagus in a bowl and toss in a little of the vinaigrette until coated. Arrange nicely on the top of the meat.
Decorate with some of the watercress and parmesan shavings. Finish by spooning a little more of the vinaigrette.