Thanks to all of you who sent in your cookery questions. Here are my answers to some that were sent in, check to see if yours is included. Sorry I couldn’t answer them all, but keep them coming in.
Craig from St. Andrews asked:
Hi Tom, I’m wanting to cook a single bone in rib of beef, what I would like to know is would you sear it first then place in the oven or reverse sear it? Also, in your opinion, does cast iron or stainless-steel pans give the best result when searing. Many thanks.
I think the reverse sear method works so well, especially with a cut like a rib of beef with the bone.
When it comes to pans, I prefer a cast iron one, it holds the heat needed when you are searing and just gets better with age.
Simon from Holyport asked:
What your favourite go to beef stew recipe? And what would you serve with it?
I love beef short ribs that have been slow cooked.
Serve it with some buttered greens and a creamy mash potato.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 250g smoked pancetta lardons
- 350g shallots, peeled
- 8 meaty beef short ribs (2.75kg)
- 120g plain flour
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 500ml red wine
- 1 litre good quality beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Small bunch thyme
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 250g baby chestnut mushrooms
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp curly parsley, finely chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150C fan.
- Place a large non-stick sauté pan onto a high heat and add one tablespoon of oil, along with the pancetta. Stir well and cook the pancetta for around 5 minutes or until it starts to turn crispy. Add the whole shallots to the pan and continue to cook until they begin to colour. Turn off the heat and remove the pancetta and shallots with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Next, season each beef rib with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the flour into a shallow bowl and season the flour also. Dip each rib into the flour and coat it well on all sides. Now, put the pan back over a high heat, add another tablespoon of oil and put 3-4 floured ribs into pan. Brown well on all sides then repeat with the remaining ribs, adding a little more oil with each batch. Remove the ribs from the pan, remove the pan from the heat and wipe out any burnt bits with a paper towel.
- Return the pan to the heat and when it’s hot again, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding the tomato puree. Stir this well and let it cook for at least 2 minutes. Add a heaped tablespoon of the remaining flour and stir well for another minute before adding the red wine. Let the red wine bubble away until it reduces by half and then add the stock and bay leaves. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with a piece of butcher’s string (so you can easily fish them out at the end) and add this to the pan. Bring this mixture up to a gentle simmer.
- Meanwhile, lay the ribs into a large roasting tin. Sprinkle over the pancetta and shallots and pour over the red wine sauce. Carefully cover the tin with foil and place it on the middle shelf of the oven.
- Cook for 2 hours then take the beef out of the oven, carefully remove the foil and turn each of the ribs over. If any of the bones come loose, pick them out and discard them. Add the mushrooms and then replace the foil and return the tin to the oven for another hour. The beef will be super tender and the sauce glossy and rich.
- When you are ready to eat, remove the tied herbs, stir in the parsley and serve.
David from Harrogate asked:
Great family visit to BT&G last week (3rd visit!). Keep up the good work. With so much meat I would love to have a “go to” ribs choice on the menu. Failing that, can you share a good recipe I can have a crack at myself. Many thanks.
My go to rib recipe is a slow cooked beef rib.
Slow cooking short ribs is the only way to go – the connective tissue breaks down, giving way to a juicy and tender piece of beef which is addictively delicious. The spicy, herby dry rub adds great flavour, and the sticky dark glaze helps to create a crust.
Ingredients
- 2.2kg short ribs of beef on the bone
- 6 tbsp prepared English mustardFor the rub
- 2 tbsp flaky sea salt
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp celery salt
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried sage
- ½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tbsp chilli powderFor the glaze
- 100ml apple juice
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 beef stock cube
Method
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/Fan 120°C/Gas 1.
- First prepare the rub. Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Using a pastry brush or spoon, smear the mustard all over the short ribs, to coat them generously. Scatter the dry rub over the mustard and use your hands to pat it on evenly.
- Place the pieces of meat in a large roasting tin then roast, uncovered, for 5 hours, basting several times during cooking with the juices in the tin.
- When the roasting time is almost up, prepare the glaze. Place the apple juice, golden syrup, black treacle, honey and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and crumble in the stock cube. Whisk to combine.
- Remove the roasting tin from the oven and pour the glaze all over the beef. Return to the oven and roast for a further 45 minutes, basting every 10–15 minutes with the juices. Now turn the oven up to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas mark 3.
- Roast the beef for a final 30–40 minutes, until it’s deep golden brown and the glaze is deliciously sticky. The beef will be very tender, falling off the bone and juicy.
- Remove from the oven, brush with the cooking juices and leave to rest in a warm place for 20–30 minutes, covered lightly with foil.
- Carve the beef into generous slices and serve with the cooking juices spooned over.
Stephen from Frinton-on-Sea asked:
Is there a way on stabilising Hollandaise sauce so it doesn’t split?
There are a few methods to stabilise or rescue hollandaise.
Some traditional and some more modern with the use of products like Xantham gum.
I personally would add a small amount of cream to my finished hollandaise which will help stabilise it but most importantly is storing at a warm/ambient temperature.
If you do see the sauce is splitting add some warm water, one spoonful at a time whilst whisking, this should stop the separation.
Marie from Henley asked:
Please can you share a recipe for Salsa Verde that I can serve with meat or fish? There are so many recipe variations on ingredients I’m not sure which one to try.
You are right, there are a lot of versions of this classic accompaniment, this one is a nice simple version, packed full of flavour
Ingredients for the salsa verde
- 50g flat-leaf parsley
- 25g anchovies, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 25g capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, peeled and diced
- zest of 2 lemons
- 100ml olive oil
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Method
- To make the salsa verde, drop the parsley into a pan of boiling water.
- After 30 seconds, drain and run under cold water. Dry and finely chop the parsley.
- Tip into a bowl and mix in the remaining salsa ingredients and season.
Julia from Welwyn asked:
Hi Tom, I love braised dishes but always struggle when slow cooking beef. It is tender but dry even though I cook it slowly after searing and I make sure it’s covered in stock. The pieces are large, and I use braising steak. Please can you tell me where I am going wrong? Thank you.
The key here is fat and sinew!
Using a cut like shin, cheek, brisket, Jacob’s ladder etc will give you that fatty collagen rich sinew which breaks down when slow cooking and keeps the meat moist and succulent.
It is also very important not to overcook it, even though it is in liquid overcooking it will allow the fibres to break down too far and release that all important gelatinous fatty goodness into the liquid leaving the meat dry.
Keep an eye on the meat and when it is just showing signs of being tender (bone nearly releasing or knife nearly going through without effort) remove from the heat and allow the final cooking to happen from residual heat.
Helen from Gateshead asked:
Hi Tom, I recently made some broth and used soup mix (pulses) which contained peas. I soaked them in cold water overnight before adding them to my ham, stock and vegetables. I cooked it for ages but could not get the peas to soften. Have you any tips on what to do in the future?
Dried peas can be problematic.
Firstly, ensure that they aren’t “too dry” in as much as they are old or have been left unsealed.
Then cooking the peas first in seasoned water with a 5g of bicarbonate of soda for every 250g of peas should help soften them before adding to soup mix.
Caroline from Redditch asked:
Hi Tom, I have managed to track down Hogget finally – very difficult to get hold of. I’ve bought a 2.5kg breast of Hogget. How would you cook it, and what would you serve with it?
This is a beautiful recipe I have used many times.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 whole breast of hogget, bone in, about 2kg
- 75g capers in brine, drained
- 75g cornichons
- 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 6 garlic cloves, 3 grated and 3 sliced
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 6–8 small red onions, peeled and halved
- 2 large green peppers, cored, deseeded and roughly chopped – you want to keep them quite chunky
- 1 head of fennel, roughly chopped
- ½ loaf sourdough bread, broken into 2cm pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
- Splash of red wine vinegar (optional)
Method
- Mix the flaky sea salt and the cracked black pepper together, then rub this into the Hogget breast. Place in a container or on a plate, then place in the fridge for 3–4 hours to cure. Remove from the fridge and rub off the excess salt mixture, but don’t wash the Hogget.
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 1. Put a grill rack into a roasting tin and put the Hogget breast on top. Roast in the oven for 4 hours.
- While the Hogget is cooking, tip the capers and cornichons on to a chopping board and, with a sharp knife, chop them together until they are almost a purée. Put them into a mixing bowl with the mustard, grated garlic, and lemon zest and juice to make a glaze.
- Remove the Hogget from the oven. Spread the caper glaze over the top and then return to the oven for a further hour.
- Take the Hogget out of the oven. Gently lift the rack from the tin and drain about 90ml of the rendered Hogget fat (the fat that has run out of the meat) into a bowl. Keep this to one side. Add the red onions, peppers, fennel and sliced garlic to the remaining fat and juices in the tin and mix together. You can use other vegetables if you prefer – potatoes, courgettes and aubergines work just as well. Return the Hogget and veg to the oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and lift the Hogget off.
- Mix the sourdough bread and the reserved Hogget fat in a bowl and put the ‘croutons’ on top of the vegetables – rest them on top, don’t mix them together as the bread will go soggy. Turn the oven up to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and put the tin back in until the sourdough goes crisp. This will take 10–15 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven and stir in the herbs, saving a handful to sprinkle on top of the Hogget breast.
- Serve straight away, using the roasting juices as a sauce. You may want to give these a splash of red wine vinegar to cut through the richness.
Please keep you questions coming in.
