SouthseaScene

The way to man's heart is through his stomach, so the saying goes and I often express my love through preparing delicious meals for my loved ones.  For Valentine's Day, why not prepare one of the simplest dishes I learnt last year during the lockdown? It's beef short ribs cooked in the oven for five hours. The preparation is simple but it yields one of the most delicious meals. It's from a book by the French chef Stephane Reynaud.  Everything is cooked in one pan, so this recipe is also kind to whoever has to do the washing up. Well, you may have other things in mind after this dinner. The ingredient list is also short: 1.2 kg beef short ribs for 4 people 4 red onions, quartered and included in its skin, or peeled and chopped roughly 8 new potatoes, or King Edwards also fine 3 tablespoons of tomato puree 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup) 3 tablespoons soy sauce 80g butter Pepper Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celcius. Peel and chop the onions and clean the potatoes. ...

My sister Grace found this recipe a long time ago and it has become a firm favourite in our house because it's very easy to cook and it's super delicious. For 2 people you need: 300g beef rump, sliced 1 tbsp cornflour (15g) 4 tbsp soy sauce (60ml) 1 tbsp dry sherry (15ml) 1 tsp sugar (5g) 1 small head of broccoli (250g) cut into florets 1 inch of ginger, chopped 4tbsp vegetable oil salt and pepper Mix the soy sauce, cornflour, dry sherry, and sugar, then add to the meat and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the broccoli for 2-3 minutes with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat the rest of the oil and fry the meat and ginger for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli back and fry for a further 30 seconds. Serve with fluffy white rice.

Beef Semarang Style or Lapis Daging Semarang (in Indonesian) is a delicious way of cooking beef and a lovely meal to cook for a dinner party as it's simple and easy to prepare. This recipe is for 4 people, but be warned that the portion needs rice and a vegetable side dish to make a complete meal.  Ingredients:  450 grams beef sirloin or rump, sliced thinly, the size of a matchbox 1 medium onion, chopped  3 cloves of garlic  1 tsp freshly ground black pepper  3 tbsp dark soy sauce  ½ tsp nutmeg  1 tbsp dark sugar  2 tbsp oil  2 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped  Gently beat the meat slices with a mallet to thin them out. Put the onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, nutmeg and sugar into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little water if necessary to keep the blades turning. Put the beef slices in a bowl and marinate with the sauce for about 1 hour.  Boil some water and blanch the tomatoes, peel the skin and chop them ...

This evening we craved something wholesome and bought a couple of good looking rib steak. Usually 150 grm is about the right amount per person. We thought we would try a new sauce and mushroom sounds just the ingredient for an autumn evening. Ingredients: 1 shallot thinly sliced 150 g mushrooms 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely 25 g butter 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 500 ml stock 150 ml Marsala wine We fried some shallots, garlic and sliced Chestnut mushrooms in some butter and olive oil. Once it has been frying for about 5 minutes, add a tablespoon of plain flour and mix well. Next pour 500 ml of stock slowly into the pan, making sure everything is blended well. Continue stirring and then add the 150 ml Marsala wine into the mixture. Simmer and stir until the sauce is reduced to 1/3 of the original quantity. This should take about 20 minutes. Serve with the steak which has been grilled for 5 minutes on each side. A jacket potato and some steamed carrots are good com...

I love traditional recipes and someone just posted this one. Worth a try. These are said to have been made by a travelling food seller, Maggie Bridie of Glamis (in the days when the county of Angus was called Forfarshire). They were mentioned by J M Barrie (author of Peter Pan) who was born in Kirriemuir in that county. The original recipe used suet but since that is not always to everyone's taste, you can use butter or margarine. Ingredients (for six bridies): 1½ lbs (700g) boneless, lean rump steak. Lean minced beef can also be used. 2 oz (2 rounded tablespoons) suet or butter or margarine 1 (or 2) onion, chopped finely 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder Quarter cup rich beef stock Salt and pepper to taste 1½ lbs flaky pastry (home made or from a pastry mix packet) Method: Remove any fat or gristle from the meat and beat with a meat bat or rolling pin. Cut into half-inch (1cm) pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the salt/pepper, mustard, chopped onion, suet (or butter/margarine) an...