Sandra's Beef Stew

50g plain flour 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1kg oyster blade steak, cut up into smallish pieces 

6 tablespoons vegetable oil 

2 onions, sliced 

3 garlic cloves, chopped 

1 tbsp tomato paste 

4 carrots, roughly chopped 

2 kg small round potatoes 

handful sliced mushrooms 

450ml beef stock 

1 tbsp apricot or plum jam 

Place the flour in a bowl or in a plastic bag with plenty of salt and black pepper and toss the meat in it until well coated.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and add the beef. Fry until browned on all sides. You may need to do this in batches as you don’t want to overcrowd the pan; it is important to just brown the beef and not stew it. Remove the meat from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions, tomato paste, garlic and carrots to the pan and fry for 5 minutes until softened a little.

Return the meat to the pan and add half the stock. Bring to the boil and bubble for 4-5 minutes, until reduced by about a third, then add the remaining stock, potatoes and mushrooms. Bring back to the boil then cover and simmer on a low heat for about two hours or until tender. If preferred, you can place the dish in a preheated oven at 150C/130C fan/gas 2 to cook for the same amount of time. 

Add the jam and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes or until the meat is meltingly tender.

This can be cooked the day before, chilled in the fridge and reheated.

Alternately, leave out the potatoes and serve with mashed potato.

If you want to thicken the sauce further, mix 1 tablespoon of plain flour with 2-3 tablespoons of cold water to make a thin paste, and add gradually to the boiling sauce until thickened to your liking.  

Cabbage Kugel

Vegetable oil for frying 

2 red onions, finely sliced 

1 garlic clove, crushed 

half small green cabbage, finely shredded 

6 large free-range eggs 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

Salt and pepper

Heat some oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add the cabbage with a splash of water (the cabbage will fill the pan) and turn up the heat. Stir-fry until the cabbage wilts and fits the pan more easily (4-5 minutes). Beat the eggs with the oil, season, then mix evenly with the cabbage. Pour into baking dish and bake on low heat 160C until done. 

Strawberry Puff Pastry Bites

 

1 sheet of ready-made puff pastry thawed 

1 cup strawberries, finely chopped 

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature

2 tsp caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Cut the puff pastry into squares or hearts.  Use a fork to score holes half an inch from the edges. Make sure that you do not cut through the pastry. Now spread some mascarpone(room temp) within the scored part. Mix together chopped strawberries and sugar and carefully place them over the mascarpone. Transfer to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are puffed up and pastries are golden brown in colour.

Colcannon

 

1kg potato, 

100g butter 

140g finely sliced onion 

half small Savoy cabbage, finely shredded 

150ml double cream 

Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes. 

Heat a quarter of the butter in a saucepan, then fry the onion until just starting to turn gold, then add  cabbage and cook for a further 5 mins.  Turn off the heat and set aside. Drain potatoes in a colander. Mash potato until smooth. 

Heat cream with remaining butter and, when almost boiling, beat into the potato. Add onion and cabbage to potato and mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

Quinoa

Sweet potato [medium size]

Flat leaf parsley [half a bunch]

Extra virgin olive oil

One lemon

Salt and pepper

Put 1 cup quinoa into a fine-meshed sieve and rinse well under cold running water, swishing the quinoa with your hand. Drain the quinoa well. Add 2 cups water to a medium saucepan, add the quinoa, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, UNcovered, for about 10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.

If you cover the pot, the water will not fully absorb.

Once the quinoa has absorbed the water, put the lid on the pan and remove from heat.  After 5 mins the quinoa will have puffed up.

Cut sweet potato into bit size pieces and roast in oven with some good olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Chop parsley very finely.

To make dressing, use the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon, a drop of good quality olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients gently in a large dish and pour over dressing.

Sweet Noodle Kugel #2

 200gm egg noodles

1 tablespoon oil

2 eggs

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup raisins

cinnamon

vanilla

pinch salt

Cook and drain the noodles. Mix hot noodles with raisins and oil.  Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla add salt and cinnamon and pour over cooled noodles. Stir until evenly coated. Bake 30 mins in small foil tray.

Use double for larger tray.

Chicken Pot Pie

 

Ingredients: 

1 onion, diced 

2 cloves garlic, diced

400g of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes 

500g frozen package of classic mixed vegetables, thawed 

1 cup of chopped celery, (about 4 sticks) 

1 cup chicken broth 

1/3 cup flour 

salt and pepper

1 package of Puff Pastry Sheets 

Directions: 

Take 1 sheet of puff pastry and press into bottom of baking dish, poke several holes in it and bake on 180′ for 15 – 20 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onion, add garlic and chicken. Cook until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside. Then add veggie mix and celery to pan and saute for several minutes before adding the chicken back to the pan. Add broth and flour, and combine well. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken and veggie mix into baking dish, top with pastry dough and cook on 180 for 20 – 35 minutes until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown.

Alternatively, leave off the bottom pastry and just put mixture into dish and top with pastry

Dairy Free Beef Stroganoff

 

2 tablespoons oil                             

1 brown onion, sliced 

3 cloves garlic, chopped

250g mushrooms, sliced 

250g beef steak, sliced 

1/2 cup beef stock 

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard 

270ml coconut cream

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

Heat oil in a pan and saute onions and mushrooms over medium- low heat. Remove and set aside. 

Fry beef over high heat for 3-5 minutes Add stock, mustard, and the cooked onions and mushrooms.

Stir in coconut cream and tomato paste. Cover the pan with a lid, simmer until tender and soft.

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice for an authentic dish or over egg noodles for the international version.

Poppy Seed Hamentaschen without a Rolling Pin

 

Dough

3½ cups flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ cup finely ground almonds 

250g butter 

1 cup icing sugar 

3 tablespoons caster sugar 

2 eggs 

Pinch salt 

Poppy Seed Filling 

300 grams ground poppy seeds (approx. 2⅓ cups) 

1 cup caster sugar 

1½ cups milk or orange juice 

3 tablespoons honey 

Lemon zest (optional) 

Sift flour and almonds.  Beat butter with icing sugar and caster sugar.  Add eggs to the butter.  Add the sifted flour and almonds, baking powder, and salt to the butter. Mix until dough is formed. Shape it into a log shape the width of the circles you want to make - approx 2 1/2 " in diameter. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and put in freezer for at least two hours.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook milk, sugar, and poppy seeds for 15 minutes.  Add the honey and lemon zest and cook 5 minutes more. Let cool. 

Cut frozen dough into thin slices about 1/4 inch wide. Turn dough to prevent one side getting flat. Place circles on parchment lined baking sheet.  Put about 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up dough into a three pointed triangle and pinch the edges.  Bake about 10 minutes in 375℉ (180°C) oven until golden.

One Pot Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 yellow onion, diced 

salt, to taste - pepper, to taste 

[not too much salt!]

200g sliced mushrooms

2 lge cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 cups chicken broth [use stock cube]

120ml 1/2 cup heavy cream

250g pasta

150g spinach

50g - 1/2 cup - Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onion into the pot and stir. Cook down for 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, and stir to incorporate with the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to evenly season. 

Add chicken broth and heavy cream to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions, being sure to stir every 1-2 minutes to keep the pasta from clumping together. (Cook time may be a little longer in this recipe than when the pasta is boiled in water.) When the pasta is al dente, add the spinach and stir until the spinach cooks down and incorporates. 

Add parmesan and stir until it’s well-incorporated and you’re left with a smooth sauce. Top off with extra parmesan and serve. 

Curried Pasta Salad

250 g colored spirals pasta cooked, cooled
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper

1/2 cup raisins
1 large can sliced peaches, chopped
1 green capsicum, chopped

mix peach juice with mayonnaise
to make dressing

Gingernut Log

250 g packet ginger nut biscuits

600 ml cream

Caramel sauce

Whip cream in a bowl until thick.

Spread cream mixture on both sides of ginger nut biscuits and stand on ends and sandwich them together to form a log.

Cover ginger nuts with rest of whipped cream to create a log effect.

Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the biscuits to soften under the cream.

                                                                                    Drizzle with caramel sauce.