The Solo Chef: Beef Stock

Showing posts with label Beef Stock. Show all posts

Cottage Pie Recipe Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker

Portions: 2-4

Ingredients

500g Minced BEEF
2 Onions (diced)
4 Carrots (diced)
Frozen Peas
Mashed Potatoes
Oil (either vegetable oil or olive oil)
300ml of Beef Stock
Gravy Browning
Winiary Przyprawa (OPTIONAL)

Equipment

Ninja Foodi (With Pressure Cooker Lid)
Oven Dish(es) to portion the Cottage Pie in to

Instructions

Put a little oil in to the Ninja Foodi and set to Saute on a medium heat (4 will do nicely) and add the diced onion and give it a good stir until they have softened and just started to caramelise
Add the Minced Beef and continue to stir and chop up the mine with a wooden spatula in to small pieces
When the mince has browned, turn off the Saute mode and add in the carrots and beef stock and give it a good stir
Put on the Pressure Cooker lid and Pressure Cook on Hi for 15 minutes
Once the pressure cooking has stopped, add in some frozen peas!
Give it a good stir and add a tiny bit of gravy browning and if you fancy it, add a dash of Winiary Przyprawa (which is a Polish alternative to Worcestershire Sauce).
Portion out in to some oven dishes ready to put on the mashed potatoes and bake!

Serving Suggestion(s)

Serve with vegetables of your liking (runner beans and/or asparagus go very well with Cottage Pie).

Cottage Pie Recipe With a Twist

Introduction

First things first, lets get one thing clear - Cottage Pie is made with Minced Beef (or ground beef if you're American). It is not made with Minced Lamb.

There is no such thing as Cottage Pie made with Lamb Mince. What you're thinking of is Shepherds Pie (the clues in the name).

If you put cheese in/on the mash it is also not a Cottage Pie - that's a Cumberland Pie!

Portions: 4

Ingredients

500g Minced BEEF
2 Onions
4 Carrots
Frozen Peas
Mashed Potatoes
Oil (either vegetable oil or olive oil)
300ml of Beef Stock
Gravy Browning
Winiary Przyprawa

Equipment

Saucepan
Frying Pan
Oven Dish(es)

Instructions

Chop up the Onions and the Carrot
Fry the Onion and Carrot in a little oil until the carrot has started to soften
Remove the Carrots and Onion mixture from the frying pan and set to one side
Put a little oil in the pan and brown the Minced Beef
When the mince has browned pour in the Beef Stock
At this point you would traditionally add some Worcestershire Sauce, instead I've added a dash of Gravy Browning and a generous splash of Winiary Przyprawa sauce (yes, I know, with all these changes I guess it's not technically a Shepherds Pie any more)!!
Give it a good stir and simmer for 20 minutes
If you haven't already made some mashed potatoes, now's the time to do so whilst the minced beef mixture is simmering...
Add the frozen peas to the minced beef (yes, again, I know, traditionally you don't add peas to a Cottage Pie (they do go in Shepherds Pie though) but I had a handful left in the freezer that needed eating up)
Stir and simmer for a few more minutes
Pour the minced beef mixture in to 1 or more oven dishes
Cover in the mashed potatoes
IMPORTANT: rough up the mashed potato by using a fork, this will make the top nice and crispy!
Put in the over at 180° for approximately 15 minutes until the top is brown and crispy

Serving Suggestion(s)

Serve with vegetables of your liking (runner beans and/or asparagus go very well with Cottage Pie).

Scottish Mince and Tatties with a Twist

Portions: 2

Ingredients

500g Minced Beef
1 Onion
2-3 Carrots
Potatoes
Peas
Beef Stock (450ml)
Oil
Flour or Gravy Granules (for thickening)
Secret Ingredient 1
Secret Ingredient 2

Equipment

Frying Pan
Sauce Pan
Chopping Board
Knife
Spatula

Instructions

Prepare the onion and carrots by chopping them up in to small cubes
Put a little oil in your frying pan and gently fry the onion until it is starting to soften
Add the minced beef to the frying pan and using a spatula 'chop' it in to small pieces
Fry the mince until it has browned and then add the Beef Stock
Give the pan a good stir and then add the carrots
Mix well and leave to simmer...
Now it's time to cook the potatoes so peel them, chop them up and add them to a saucepan
When the carrots have started to soften it's time to add the peas
Secret Ingredients Time: It's at this point the recipe stops being Scottish so if you want to be authentic then skip this step...

The 2 'Secret Ingredients' I like to use in my Mince and Tatties are Sarsons Gravy Browning (just a tiny dash) and a generous splosh of Winiary Przyprawa (a Polish seasoning for soups and meat).

The Przyprawa (which can be found in most good supermarkets like Tesco and Morrisons) is a flavour enhancer (just like Worcestershire Sauce is) and the Gravy Browning adds a nice depth of colour.
Thicken the mixture with either a little flour or I like to use Bisto Gravy Granules
Leave the pan to simmer and give it a stir every now and then
When the potatoes are cooked you are ready to serve!

Serving Suggestion(s)

Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes.

How Long Do I Cook Roast Beef Joint for in a Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Setting

250g beef joint for 20 minutes on High for Well Done.

After the cooking time, remove the beef, wrap in tinfoil and leave to rest.

Add your vegetables to the stock already in the Ninja Foodi and Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.

When the 3 minutes is up, place a sieve over a saucepand and carefully pour in the stock which you can now turn in to gravy!

Instead of using cornflour to thicken my gravy I always use Bisto Gravy granules to add flavour and thicken it.

MMmmm! Delicious! See it on TikTok below:

@thesolochef_official #WhatsForTea #TheSoloChef #UKfood #BritishFood #RoastBeef #NinjaFoodi #PressureCooker ♬ original sound - TheSoloChef

Scotch Pie Recipe

Portions: Two Pies

Ingredients

50g Lard
125g of Plain Flour
120ml hot water
150g Minced Lamb
1/2 tsp of Mixed Herbs
1/4 tsp Mace (All Spice or Nutmug are good substitutes but use half the amount)
1/2 Small Onion (finely chopped)
Beef Stock (or gravy will do) tiniest amount just to coat the mince
Salt and Pepper for seasoning throughout - add as much or as little as you like as you go along

Instructions

Put the kettle on!
When the kettle has boiled, pour 120ml in to a suitable measuring jug
Bung the flour in a large bowl and make a well shape in the middle
Cube up the lard (so it's easier/quicker to melt)
Add to the (now) hot water and stir until it has dissolved
Pour the water/lard solution in to the flour well and mix (very) well with a wooden spoon
Sprinkle some flour on to your workbench (hope you left the bag of flour out)
Knead the pastry in the flour
Split the pastry in to two balls
Pinch a bit of the balls and put to one side (these will become the pie lids)
Roll out the large balls to around 4mm thick
Oil your pie tins (I'm using some small Betty Crocker ones I got from B&M)
Carefully place the pastry in the tins
Roll the small balls out so they will just fit inside your pie dishes (but dont put them on just yet)
Place the pie lids on some parchment paper and (along with the pie dishes) put them in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or so to cool down.
Put a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan and cook the finely chopped onion until it starts to soften and then add the Mixed Herbs and Mace (or Nutmeg/All Spice as an substitute)
Give the onions and herbs a good stir and and mix in enough beef stock (I like to use gravy) just to give it all a good coating - as DelBoy says "Just remember, a little dab'll do you" you don't want it to be swimming in stock/gravy just a little dollop will do.
Set to one side to cool
When your pastry is ready to remove from the fridge, leave it there for a bit longer and instead mix the onions and herbs in to the Minced Lamb (assuming it has cooled down enough)
Remove the pie tins and pastry lids from the fridge
Spoon in half the minced lamb mixture in to the pie cases ensuring you do not over fill them, there must be no more than 3/4 up the side of the pie case.
Place the pie lids on the pies
Make a small hole in the middle of the pie so the steam can escape during cooking
Bake them in the over at 180º for around 45 minutes (I turn them halfway through to ensure even cooking, but you do what you like)

Serving Suggestion(s)

A side helping of Rumbledethumps goes very well with a Scotch Pie!

Here's a link to how I cook my Rumbledethumps:

Rumbledethumps Recipe