Staffordshire Lobby (Beef Stew) #AutumnWarmers

This month Waitrose have launched their #AutumnWarmers campaign, celebrating warming dishes from throughout the UK, to get us in the mood for those cooler nights when all we want is something warm and comforting to eat.

I've decided to share my recipe for a Staffordshire Lobby, which is basically a beef stew, traditionally eaten by poorly paid potters in the region, using cheaper cuts of meat along with root vegetables and pearl barley.

This can be cooked on the stove top, as per a traditional stew, but before I went to work for the morning I popped it into the slow cooker and was able to enjoy a nice steaming bowlful for lunch.

The recipe can be scaled down depending on how many you want to feed, but this quantity kept us going for a couple of days.

Staffordshire Lobby - feeds a crowd

1.2kg beef (brisket, shin, skirt) - I used brisket

4 medium carrots

2 large parsnips

1 small swede

8 shallots

3 medium potatoes, peeled

2 tbsp plain flour
salt & pepper
1 litre beef stock

500ml beer

200g pearl barley

• cut the beef into bite sized pieces
• peel & chop the vegetables into bit sized pieces
• add the flour to a large zip lock bag, and season with salt & pepper
• add the beef to the bag and shake to coat
• add the beef, vegetables, stock & beer to a large pan and bring to the boil
• transfer to a slow cooker and add the pearl barley
• cook on medium for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender

Serve with thick slices of freshly baked bread, and butter, and maybe a little brown sauce on the side!

recipe commissioned by Waitrose

FIFA World Cup Feijoada - Brazilian Black Bean Stew

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil well under way I have decided to share a recipe for a traditional Brazilian black bean stew, known as Feijoada. I have researched many recipes, all with slight variations, and have come up with my own variation. The basics include black beans and at least two cuts of pork, along with plenty of onion and garlic. I've used pork shoulder and pork belly, along with chorizo and a smoked sausage, which gives this beautifully rich stew, which is perfect for a World Cup get together.

  

I've used Coca-Cola in cooking before, to make 'Ham in Coke', which was a great success, so I decided to add some to the stew as I figured it would make the gravy much richer than water would. Coca-Cola is also a great accompaniment to a salty dish such as this stew, and what better way to celebrate the World Cup than with promotional World Cup 2014 bottles of Coca-Cola, found right in the middle of the Carbonated Drinks aisle in my local Tesco in Rugeley.



I used the slow cooker to make this, but it can be made in a large pan just as easily, over a very low heat. If you're having friends over to watch the football just pop it all in the slow cooker first thing in the morning and you will have a beautiful stew by early afternoon. 



Feijoada - Brazilian Black Bean Stew - serves 8-10

500g Black beans
700g Pork shoulder
500g Pork belly
100g Chorizo, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
bulb of garlic, peeled & crushed
200g Smoked sausage, sliced
400g tin of tomatoes
150ml Coca-Cola

• Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water and leave to soak overnight
• Drain the beans and add to the slow cooker
• Cut the pork shoulder and belly into 1" pieces and fry in batches until browned, add to the slow cooker
• Fry the chorizo, onion and garlic until lightly browned and add to the slow cooker
• Add the smoked sausage, tomatoes and Coca-Cola to the slow cooker and give everything a good stir
• Cook on high heat for approximately 4 hours, until the beans are tender

Serve with boiled rice and fresh coriander

Follow all the excitement on twitter with the hashtags #BigMatchPlanner & #CollectiveBias

Harissa & Vegetable Cobbler

I'm loving having Good Food Magazine on my ipad, not only is it very portable but it means I can search for recipes that I've seen without having to flick through pages and pages. One of the recipes that caught my eye was in the budget cooking edition for tomato & harissa stew with cheddar dumplings. I'm always looking for ways to save money on the weekly shop and making more veggie recipes is definitely helping.

I amended the recipe by adding a few more ingredients (vegetables from the bottom of the fridge) and using my recipe for cheesy scones for the top (leaving out the chilli) instead of the dumplings.

Vegetable & Harissa Cobbler

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 heaped tbsp of Harissa paste
1 Can of chopped tomatoes
1 Can of water
1 Can of chickpeas, drained
1 Large Courgette, chopped
1 Red pepper, de-seeded & chopped
2 Large Chestnut Mushrooms
1 Knorr Herb Stock Pot
75g Red Lentils
1 Egg, beaten

• Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole pan and fry the onion gently for 3 minutes
• Add the celery, harissa paste, tomatoes, water, chickpeas, courgette, pepper, mushrooms & stock pot and bring to the boil
• Place the lid on and bake in a 180 C oven for 1 hour
• Stir in the lentils and return to the oven (lid on) for 10 minutes
• Make up the scone mixture and cut circles out
• Place the scones on top of the stew, brush with beaten egg and bake (no lid) for a further 15 minutes until golden brown