Sometimes when we need a boost, our favourite dish can bring back deliciously comforting memories, smells and tastes. And as the weather gets colder there’s nothing more welcoming and thoroughly satisfying than a dish of home cooked food made with Scotch Beef PGI or Scotch Lamb PGI. Such pleasing meals are what comfort food is all about.
Keep your family happy this autumn by serving these classic favourite dishes made using Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI. For more delicious recipe ideas visit: www.scotchbeefandlamb.com
BEEF CARBONNADE WITH GARLIC AND HERB CROUTONS
SERVES 4-6
675g lean Scotch Beef PGI braising steak, cut into cubes
3 tbsp flour, seasoned with black pepper and salt
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp English mustard
300ml brown ale
300ml stock
1 tsp brown sugar
1 bouquet garni
Black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
For the croutons:
Half a French stick, sliced into 8
25g butter or margarine
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Coat the beef in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole and brown the beef. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, cover and cook in the preheated oven, for one to one and a half hours. To make the croutons, take a small box and mix the butter or margarine with the garlic and herbs. Lightly toast one side of the sliced bread. Spread the garlic and herb mixture on the other side and toast until golden. Serve the carbonnade in a bowl and top with croutons. This dish is good with steamed cabbage.
BEEF GOULASH
SERVES 2-3
300g Scotch Beef PGI rump or minute steaks, cut into strips
300g new or waxy potatoes, thickly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
100g button mushrooms, halved
1 small green pepper, finely sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
2 tsp paprika
500g jar tomato based cooking sauce
300ml hot beef stock
2 tbsp natural yoghurt
Freshly chopped parsley or chives (optional)
Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for 3-4 minutes then drain thoroughly. Meanwhile heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir-fry the beef for 2-3 minutes or until browned. Add the mushrooms, pepper, onion, paprika and potato slices and cook for a further minute. Stir in the tomato sauce and stock, leave to gently simmer for 10 minutes – longer to reduce and thicken the sauce if preferred. Serve in bowls topped with a spoonful of yoghurt and fresh herbs or a dusting of paprika.
Top tip: For a slow cook goulash, use Scotch Beef PGI shoulder or featherblade, cubed and cooked with the above ingredients in a lidded casserole for two and a half hours at 140°C. Add a little more stock if required halfway through cooking.
SPICY LAMB CURRY WITH AUBERGINE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH
SERVES 8
800g Scotch Lamb PGI shoulder meat cut into bite-sized pieces
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2.5 cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
2 tbsp medium-hot curry paste
1 tbsp plain flour
750ml water or vegetable stock
1 large aubergine, cut into Cubes
500g butternut squash, cut into cubes
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp mango chutney
A handful chopped coriander to serve
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Gently fry the onion and garlic in 1 tblsp of the oil for 3-4 minutes until softened, add the ginger and spices, fry for a minute more then transfer to an oven proof casserole. Increase the heat under the frying pan, add another tblsp of oil and fry the meat, in batches, until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes for each batch. Transfer to the casserole with the onions. Add the curry paste and flour to the last batch of browned meat and fry for one minute more before adding some of the water or stock and stirring well to get up all the flavoursome morsels that have stuck to the pan. Tip all this into the casserole.
Add the rest of the liquid to the curry, bring to the boil and season with salt, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for about 40 minutes until the meat is almost tender. Meanwhile over a medium heat, fry the aubergine cubes in a little extra oil for 5 minutes until lightly golden but not cooked through. Add the aubergine, butternut squash, tomatoes and chutney to the curry and return to the oven for 25 minutes until the meat and squash are very tender. Check the seasoning.
LAMB RAGU
SERVES 4-6
1 half Scotch Lamb PGI shoulder on the bone
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 sprigs fresh oregano or
1 tsp dried
2 tbsp sundried tomato paste
2 cans chopped tomatoes
70g dry black olives (pitted dry black olives with herbs are good here)
Handful fresh basil leaves
Pasta and freshly grated
Parmesan to serve
Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the lamb shoulder over a high heat until nicely browned all over. Lift out and set aside. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan, lower the heat a little and cook for 5 minutes until softened and golden. Stir in the oregano, sundried tomato paste and canned tomatoes. Fill one of the cans with water and add to the pan. Return the lamb, bring to a simmer then cover and cook very gently for 2 hours. Lift the lamb out of the sauce then use forks to strip the meat off the bone. Shred any large pieces and return to the pan with the olives and simmer for 15 minutes. Toss with freshly cooked pasta and torn basil leaves. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper.