spinach or silver beet cooked in the Tagine!

Nothing more tastier or healthier than a plate of spinach!!

here is a quick & easy way to prepare and cook this dish in the Tagine..... if you don't have one, then cook in any pot on the stove in the same way.

Here I am using Silver Beet.....

so grab one or two bunches of this fresh vegetable that is high in iron, wash it well.

Add some oil to the tagine or cooking pot, add a chopped onion and gently cook ... add some crushed garlic. As little or as much as you like, 2 garlic cloves or 10 .. up to you!

You can also add a small amount of chilli or ginger at this point, will depend on your taste buds.

Then add the washed and chopped silver beet or spinach.

Don't worry if it looks to be 'too much' as it will wilt down with the cooking process as seen below.

Gently heat and place the lid on top.  You will notice I have not added liquid to this yet, mainly because if the spinach or silver beet has been washed there will be enough moisture in the leaves to create the steam to cook with the lid on...

After about 10 mins of very low heat, take the lid off and add about a cup (or more) of vegetable stock and stir well.

Let it simmer for another 10 mins and check if you think it needs more liquid.  We tend to add another cup of stock at this point as we like it with plenty of juice as we always serve it with steamed rice.

But this is a quick and easy dish to cook and is extra tasty too!
Can be used as a side dish or served with steamed rice .......


enjoy!!







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a tasty roast

Most of us enjoy a nice piece of succulent roast beef, everyone has their favourite way to prepare and roast.

Wikipedia's description of Roast Beef is as follows:

Roast beef is a dish of beef which is roasted in an oven. Essentially prepared as a main meal, the leftovers can be and are often served within sandwiches and sometimes are used to make hash. In the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and Australia, roast beef is one of the meats traditionally served at Sunday dinner, although it is also often served as a cold cut in delicatessen stores, usually in sandwiches. A traditional side dish to roast beef is Yorkshire pudding.

In the UK, roast beef is the signature national dish which holds cultural meaning for the English.

Some prefer roast beef to be served "rare" or "pink", meaning that the center of the joint is cooked so that it retains a reddish color. Others prefer roast beef to be cooked medium or well done.

Another website describe it as:

Roast beef is perfect for a Sunday roast or a midweek meal. Recipes range from a traditional rump roasts to modern tenderloin roast and all in between.

Some may prefer a pot roast ... and the difference is ....

Pot roast is of course that stringy beef that comes from a shoulder roast, a chuck roast,  originating from the front part of the cow. It takes a slow, moist roast very well and falls tenderly apart as soon as you remove it from its broth.

Pot roasting is perfect for large, inexpensive and less tender cuts of beef as the long, slow cooking infuses them with flavour and makes them extremely tender. The beef is browned all over and then very slowly braised with a little liquid in a covered pan. A piece of Bolar Blade is perfect for this.

Roast Beef has a steak like texture and will stand firmer when sliced and comes from cuts like  sirloin, scotch fillet, rib eye, topside, or rump - all butchered from the back part of the animal.

This week I purchased a piece of Bolar Blade. Now this would normally be used as a pot roast, its a cheaper cut of meat and usually needs long, slow cooking.  I decided to try it roasted.

Here goes.....

above: create small pockets with a sharp blade for the garlic cloves.

below: use any seasonings you wish, but I used the McCormicks "Steak Spice", Cumin and Coriander. Mix the spices you are using with some light olive oil.  Rub over the beef.

 
and let it 'rest' in this mix (oil and spices) for up to an hour....

if you have a cast iron pan, griddle pan etc, place it on the stove top to heat. Also turn on your oven to about 180 deg c.

above & below: when the plate is hot, sear your roast on all sides, this will help seal in the juices. This will only take a few minutes.

below: place the roast in a baking pan in the oven. At this point you can drizzle a small amount of light olive oil over the beef.

 

and while that is taking place, add a small amount of water to the cast iron pan to 'lift' the tasty roast pieces that were left behind. Leave to cool.

below: add pumpkin, potato's and carrot to the baking pan with the roast. These will take about an hour. Depends on the size you have cut them though.

below:  while the meat and vegetables are cooking, prepare the gravy / sauce using the meat juices from the pot.  This will be quite rich,  you can water it down somewhat if you desire.

below:  when you take the meat out of the oven, let it sit for about 10 minutes prior to carving.  Here you can see the meat juices and garlic pieces, just unfortunate that you cannot smell how delicious this really is!

below: while carving, leave the vegetables to finish their cooking in the oven.

and dinner is ready ........

I have not cooked a 'roast' for over 7 years, so am in no position to 'teach' anyone how to prepare or cook a roast. All I am doing is 'sharing' what I did for dinner on Monday night!

Stay tuned for what ever else I decide to cook or bake!


have some Tasty Fun!!

this blog post had 790 readers from
June 2012 till moving it across to this site in October 2013.

Biryani Chicken

Since being back in Australia I do seem to have time to learn to cook and bake again!

Something I have always enjoyed, but during the five + years we spent in Singapore, no baking and very little cooking was done at all. Eating out was 'at least' a five night a week experience. Not that I am complaining mind .... it was just a very different way of life.

That was life of an expat!

So since the new oven, stove and kitchen has been completed I have had them working overtime with the baking and cooking I have been 'playing around with'.  I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, its just something I enjoy.

Yesterdays meal was my Biryani Chicken.

I accidentally fell across this tasty meal when I decided to cook one night back in Singapore. There were two chicken breasts in the refrigerator and some spices and oil in the cupboard and had to think what to do with the little that was there. This is the result which we also had last night ....

below: two chicken breasts. Remove skin.

below: slice into finger lengths as seen here:

below: here is the seasoning I use. A Biryani Spice Mix for rice!

I purchased this at Mustafa's in Singapore and brought back a few with me to Australia. I paid $1.70 SGD (or about $1.34 AUD). I would imagine it to be available in most Indian grocery outlets. (I have since seen similar in International grocery stores)

below: empty the complete pack into a bowl and break up the lumps. It wont be completely 'lump free' but easier to use.

below: roll each chicken piece in the Biryani Spice Mix.

below: once all chicken pieces are well covered, place them back in the bowl and leave them for at least 30 minutes.

below: preheat the stove top pan, place a small amount of light Olive Oil on then add each chicken piece.

below: as each piece cooks, turn over.

below: serve with salad or vegetables.

This is not only a very quick and easy dish to prepare, but also very tasty.  It maybe too spicy to serve to young children though.  We had a few pieces of the Chicken Biryani left over and had it sliced in a sandwich for lunch the following day.

If you cannot locate Biryani Spice Mix at a store nearby, be adventurous and try some other spice mix using the above method.

Biryani Spices are usually found in large supermarkets in the "International Section" or in any Indian Grocery Store.


have tasty fun!!

this blog post had 281 readers from
June 2012 till moving it across to this site in October 2013.