Western Cuisine: Mutton, lamb & Beef

Roast leg of lamb ala tom

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Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb (about 4 1/2 pounds)
1 handful fresh sage
1 clove garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
Olive oil
1 handful fresh rosemary
3 ounces pancetta, sliced

Method:

1) With a knife, follow the lamb bone down about 4 inches (you are just making a 'tunnel' where you are cutting the meat away from the bone). Do this from the top end and the bottom end.
2) Roll the leg into a roast shape and tie with cotton butcher's twine.
3) Pierce the meat at an angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 to 8 times at random around the leg.
4) Where you have made the incisions, open them up a bit by poking your fingers down in them to make a bit of space.
5) Using a pestle and mortar smash up half the sage with the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. When its pulped, add the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the other half of the sage and the rosemary roughly chopped.
6) Stuff the mixture into all the incisions and gaps you have made with the knife. Then stuff the pancetta deep into the gaps along the bone and the incisions. This gives a lovely fragrant flavor to the meat. Season with salt and pepper.
7) Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown lamb on all sides.
8) Place lamb in roasting pan and roast in a preheated 425 f oven for 30 to 40 minutes for medium rare, 1 hour for well done. (A meat thermometer inserted in center should read 160 or 165 degrees F or a thinbladed knife inserted to the center for 20 seconds should feel lukewarm on your lips.)
9) Let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes covered loosely with foil before carving, so juices can run to center.
10) Remove strings and slice meat thinly across the roll.
11) Serve with Deep fried french beans and mint sauce.
12) To reheat carved lamb, place slices on a sheet pan, cover with a wet towel, and bake 5 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Roasted lamb in coffee sauce

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(makes 4+ servings, assuming about a 1 pound leg of lamb)

Ingredients:
1 leg of lamb (boned and tied)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon rosemary (chopped)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup strong black coffee
1 tablespoon cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:
1. Rub the salt and pepper onto the lamb.
2. Spread the mustard on top.
3. Heat the coffee, cream, sugar and brandy until the sugar has disolved.
4. Place the lamb in a roasting dish and pour the coffee mixture over it.
5. Roast in a preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes, basting a few times.
6. Turn the heat down to 325F for 15 minutes, basting a few times.
7. Let the lamb rest for 15 minutes.
8. Pour the juices into a pan along with the chicken stock and heat until bubbling.

Stewed oxtail in red wine

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Ingredients:

• 900 gm oxtail
• 1 onion, chop into chunks
• 1 carrot, cut into wedges
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 Tbsp plain flour
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 200 ml red wine
• 500 ml beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• a knob of butter

Method:

• 1) Clean and cut oxtail into sections. (If the oxtail has not been cut, the butcher would usually do the job for customers on request.) Trim off extra fat. Lightly coat oxtail with plain flour and shake off excess flour.
• 2) Melt butter in a frying pan. Fry oxtail for 10 to 15 minutes till brown. Set aside.
• 3) Sauté onion and carrot for 15 minutes. Pour in red wine and cook for a while. Mix in tomato paste, beef stock and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil. Toss oxtail into the mixture. Cover and cook over low heat for 3 hours till tender. Remove bay leaf. Correct consistency and season. To serve with smashed potato or mixed vegetables if you’d like.
 

Hamburger (Beef)

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Hamburger Pates:
450gm of fresh mince beef
60gm of bread crumb
1 no of large egg
1 piece of good quality ham, chopped to fine pieces
2 piece of good quality bacon, chopped to fine pieces
1 small onion, diced to small pieces
1 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of mixed herbs
1 tbsp of parsley/celery, chopped to fine pieces
1 teasp of salt
1 teasp of pepper
1 teasp of sugar

Method:

1) Heat frying pan and melt butter. Pan fry onion and bacon till fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.
2) Mix all other ingredients except 1 and bread crumb in a big bowl. Stir well until well combined.
3) Add bread crumbs and 1. Continue mixing and slap the mixture against the bowl til a springiness factor can be felt when pressing against the mixture.
4) Divide the mixture into 4 portions if you want chunky pate or 5 portions. Shape into a round ball by gently throwing the mixture from one hand to the other. Place mixture into a 4 - 5 inch ring. Press to shape into a pate. You can keep pate in freezer for up to 1 month or so.
5) Heat up pan with another tablespoon of butter. At small to medium fire, pan fry pate for approx 5-6 min on each side or til fully cooked for well done. Both side will look a little burnt on the edges. Test for doneness by using a skewer or satay stick. If juices ran out is clear, the pate is cooked. Assemble the pate with the rest of hamburger parts.

The Hamburger Assembly:

For every hamburger, my usual assembles are:
1 no of burger bun, sliced into half
Fresh lecture
2-3 slices of tomatos
2-3 slices of cucumber
1 slice of bacon
the choice of bbq sauce/tomato sauce/chilli sauce/mayonaise/mushroom sauce*

*Mushroom Sauce
100-150 gm of fresh button mushroom, slice to thin slices
1/2 no of small onion, diced to small pieces
1 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of flour
1/2 no of good quality beef stock + 3/4 cup of water
1/2 tbsp of worcheshire sauce
salt, pepper, sugar to taste.

Method:
1) Heat up pan with butter. Add flour and pan fry til light brown. Add onion followed by mushroom.
2) When mushrooms are semi cooked, add stock mixture and worcheshire sauce. Simmer till cooked. Add salt pepper and sugar to taste.
Serve with more salad.

Steak tenderloin in a mushroom and blue cheese sauce

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(makes 2 large main courses or 4 lighter main courses)

Ingredients:
2 large steaks or 4 small steaks (your favorite cut and thickness)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
8 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 splash brandy
1/2 cup blue cheese (crumbled)

Directions
1. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the steaks and sear at high heat until done to your preference, about 2-4 minutes per side for rare to medium rare.
4. Let the steaks rest in a heated oven until ready to eat.
5. Melt the butter in the same pan.
6. Add the onion and saute at medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
8. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper and saute until tender, about 7-9 minutes.
9. Add the broth and brandy and deglaze the pan and simmer until it has reduced by half.
10. Remove from heat and stir in the blue cheese and pour over the steaks.

Steak Tenderloin in a Green Peppercorn Sauce

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Ingredients:
1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns (roughly crushed)
2 steaks
salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot (chopped)
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon green peppercorns in brine
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Press the steaks into the peppercorns to coat and season with salt.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Sear the steaks on high heat on both sides for about 2-4 minutes and set aside.
4. Melt the butter in the pan.
5. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 4 minutes.
6. Add the brandy and deglaze the pan.
7. Add the peppercorns, beef stock, heavy cream and mustard and simmer to reduce by half.
8. Remove from heat and mix in any juices collected under the steaks.

Tava - baked beef with potatoes, cumin & tomatoes

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Ingredients:
2 Onionsn
1kg potatoes
1kg beef/ lamb
Flat leaf parsley
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 or 5 tomatoes
125ml olive oil
125ml water
50g butter, cut into pieces

Method:
1. Cut potatoes, tomatoes , onions, beef or lamb into chunks and put it in a casserole dish. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
2. Chop up parsley, mix it with cumin seeds and olive oil. Drizzle the mixture onto the casserole dish.
3. Pour water around the dish.
4. Ramdomly spread the butter on the ingredients.
5. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 180 C for 2 hours.
6. After 2 hours, increase the temperature to 200C and bake for another 30 minutes.
7. Serve.

Lachmajou (Ground Beef on Bread)

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Ingredients:
10g dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
250g bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
10g butter, melted
150ml water

Topping:
1 onion, chopped
400g ground beef
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
15g chopped flat-leaf parsley
120g canned tomatoes, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, to serve

Method:
1) In a medium bowl, add in yeast, sugar, flour and salt. Stir the mixture by hand until combine.
2) Add in butter and water, knead by hand or mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3) Cover the dough with clingwrap and leave in a warm place for 1 1/2 hour, the dough should rise to twice its original size.
4) In the mean time, heat up olive oil in a saucepan and saute the onion until soften.
5) Add beef, cinnamon, most of parsley as well as salt and pepper, continue to saute until the moisture is evaporated and the beef is lightly golden in colour.
6) Remove from heat, stir in canned tomato.
7) Pre-heat the oven to 220 deg C.
8) Punch down the dough, divide into 10 smaller pieces. Roll out each piece into a disc with the thickness of 1-2mm.
9) Arrange on a baking tray, spoon the sauteed beef onto the dough, and then drizzle with some olive oil on the beef.
10) Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining chopped parsley and lemon juice, serve.