Recipes
We are often asked about cooking techniques and recipes for our beef, so hopefully in this section you may find some useful tips.
Recipe
Belinda’s Reuben sandwich
We are very lucky with some special friendships in our local Glenaire community. We often get together with friends and have Aire River outings, beach adventures, scenic walks and sharing meals together. This is Belinda’s famed Reuben sandwich recipe. So absolutely delicious, just magic! Give it a go.
INGREDIENTS
Saint Aire Corn Beef
2 Bay leaves
10 cloves
1 whole peeled onion
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 Tlb brown sugar
1 orange cut in half (or 1/3 cup of juice as a substitute)
REUBEN SANDWICH
2 x slices bread, preferably Rye
1 slice swiss cheese
4 slices of corned beef
1 1/4 cup sauerkraut, drained
1/4 cup of thinly sliced gherkins
1 Tlb of Reuben Sauce
Butter to toast the sandwich
REUBEN SAUCE
1 Tlb Tomato Sauce
1 Tlb Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Horseradish
Slash of gherkin juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the Corned Beef, rinse and place in a large pot with a lid.
2. Fill the pot with water until it covers the beef.
3. Place all ingredients in a pot and stir. Place lid on pot and bring to boil.
4. Once boiled, turn down and cook for 1 hour per Kg.
5. Drain the beef and return to pot, resting with lid on for 20 minutes.
6. Slice corned beef thinly or as desired.
7. For the Reuben sauce, place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix.
8. Assembling the sandwich, on the bottom layer of bread add the sauerkraut, then corned beef, gherkins, then cheese. On the top piece of bread, spread the Reuben sauce.
9. The sandwich is best cooked in a pan on medium to low heat.
10. Once the sandwich is assembled, butter the outside of the top, then place it face down on the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.
11. Repeat on other side, cooking for 4-5 minutes, ensuring the sandwich is fully heated through evenly.
12. Cut in half and enjoy!
Recipe
BeeF Rendang
Beef Rendang is a Malaysian Curry which exhibits complex flavours and is quite simple to make using chuck/braising steak. It is known as a dry curry, which means there is not loads of sauce, but l like to add more liquid as l enjoy the aromatic spices in the sauce with rice. It's super easy, delicious and great to stash away in the freezer for consumption at a later date.
INGREDIENTS
SPICE PASTE
12 fresh chillies or/ 12 dried chillies, rehydrated in boiling water.
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks of lemongrass
1 1/2 Tlb fresh Galangal, finely chopped (Don't be devastated if you leave this out.)
1 1/2 Tlb fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 Tlb oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil.)
CURRY
1 Kg Chuck Steak (or other slow cooking steak.)
1 Tlb oil (vegetable, canola or peanut.)
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp clove powder
3 star anise
1/2 tsp cardamon powder
1 lemongrass stick (bottom half only and smashed)
400 ml coconut milk (standard can)
2 tsp tamarind paste/puree
4 large kaffir lime leaves finely sliced
1/3 cup desiccated coconut or finely shredded
1 Tlb palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place spice paste ingredients in a food processor and whiz until fine.
2. Heat 1 Tlb of oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add half the beef and brown, remove onto plate and repeat with remaining beef.
3. Lower heat to medium/low. Add spice paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the wetness has reduced and the paste begins to darken.
4. Add remaining curry ingredients, including beef. Stir to combine.
5. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn down to a low simmer. Put lid on pot and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and check the beef. You do not want it fall apart at a touch at this stage, but it should be quite tender. If it is fall apart already, remove beef before proceeding.
7. Turn up the heat to medium and reduce the sauce for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring every now and then at first, then frequently towards the end until the beef browns and the sauce reduces to a paste that coats the beef.
8. The beef should now be very tender, fall apart at a touch. If not, add a splash of water and keep cooking. Serve with rice, with optional yoghurt, roti and fresh chopped coriander. Place well seasoned steaks on a rack over a baking tray (cover the tray with foil to save yourself a clean up)
Recipe
Reverse searing a steak
Traditionally, a restaurant method of cooking steak involved searing over incredibly high heat, then transferring to an oven to finish on a more gentle heat until done. The reverse sear method pretty much just flips the order. It involves first cooking the meat on a very low heat before searing the outside on a super hot surface. It’s an easy method to learn and you can all rock steakhouse quality cooking at home.
One thick steak. It works for any thick-cut steak - Rib-Eye, Porterhouse, Tomahawk, T-Bone and Eye Fillet.
It’s going to need to be at least 1” thick, if not more. The thicker, the better.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions
Place well seasoned steaks on a rack over a baking tray (cover the tray with foil to save yourself a clean up)
Put in oven and cook till an internal temp on thermometer of 105°F (41°C) for rare, 115°F (46°C) for medium-rare, 125°F (52°C) for medium, or 135°F (57°C) for medium-well. This will take about 20 minutes for rare steak and up to about 40 minutes for medium-well; cooking time can vary dramatically depending on many factors, so check often.
Remove when at temp and rest for 10-15 minutes under foil. Investing in a meat probe will take the guess work out of the equation.
Preheat a skillet, heavy based pan or Bbq to smoking hot temperatures with Canola oil (Do not use olive oil, as its smoke point is significantly lower than that of canola oil and will smoke before reaching the desired cooking temperature.)
Sear steaks on the hottest part of the grill and cook, turning frequently, until crisp and charred all over, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Serve right away. (You do not have to rest reverse seared steaks at the end.)
Serve immediately
Recipe
Osso Buco
4 pieces beef osso buco
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup minced celery
2 large sprigs parsley
4 strips of lemon peel
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 sprig thyme
1 strip rosemary
2 Tlb tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Dredge beef in seasoned flour and brown in baking pot like a cast iron Chasseur
Mix carrots, onion, garlic and celery in a food processor and season
Remove beef from pan, add processed vegetables and sauté until lightly browned
Add wine, broth and tomato paste
Add all other ingredients including meat and its juices
Cover pot under lid with foil
Cook in moderate to low oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours
More flavour develops when left overnight, heated and served on rice or potato mash.
Garnish with gremolata to serve
Recipe
Bresaola
Bresaola is air-dried, salted beef, originating from Italy, that has been aged for up to three months until it becomes hard and almost pancetta like....
1 kg topside beef, excess fat trimmed
7 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary
2 Tlb olive oil
3 litres red wine
4 Tlb sea salt flakes
Directions
Cut the beef into long strips of about 10cm to form a long rectangular shape
In a metal bowl combine juniper berries, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, rosemary and olive oil
Place the beef into the bowl and rub mixture all over
Cover with red wine and place a plate over the top to submerge the beef completely
Refrigerate for two weeks
Take the beef out and rub the sea salt all over it
Wrap the beef in a generous amount of muslin and tie with string
Hang the beef in a cool, well ventilated area for about two weeks
Unwrap the bresaola and thinly slice. Serve with good quality olive oil
RECIPE
SPICY BEEF WITH CORIANDER RELISH
1/3 cup shoaling rice wine
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 Tlb caster sugar
1 Tlb sesame oil
4 x 200g sirloin steaks
To Serve: snow peas, steamed rice & coriander relish
Directions
Place the rice wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in large bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved
Add the steaks and refrigerate for at least two hours, bringing to room temperature in the last 30 minutes
Meanwhile, prepare the relish. Simply place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix
1 cup chopped coriander including stems
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tlb lime juice
1 large red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tlb fish sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat a frying pan or bbq and sear steaks for two minutes each side (longer if you like medium to well done)
Allow steak to rest for five minutes before slicing into 1 cm slices
Lightly blanch snow peas
Plate up in layers with rice, snow peas, steak and top with coriander relish
Recipe
Bloody Mary Beef
A market client introduced me to this recipe by Jamie Oliver, and l think it's the perfect during winter to leave something simmering away while you get on with your day. These amazing aromas fill the kitchen, and are simply delicious to come home to, not to mention dinner ready to be served!
1 kilo piece beef brisket
sea salt - freshly ground white pepper
olive oil
1 celery head
4 small red onions
a few sprigs fresh thyme and rosemary
1.6 kilos potatoes
1 large savoy cabbage or/ 400 grams curly kale
1 knob unsalted butter
3cm piece fresh horseradish
For the Bloody Mary Mix
1 x 700 gram jar passata
1 Tlb grated horseradish
2 Tlb Worcestershire sauce
a few drops Tabasco sauce
3 Tlb Vodka
1 Tlb Port
Juice 1/2 Lemon
Directions
Preheat oven to 130°C. Place a snug fitting casserole pan over medium heat to get hot. Season the brisket all over with salt and pepper, then add to the hot pan with a splash of olive oil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until browned all over. Meanwhile, trim and chop the celery into 5cm chunks, reserving the yellow leaves for later, then peel and quarter the onions. Add the chopped veg to the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 5 - 10 minutes, or until slightly softened.
Combine all the Bloody Mary ingredients in a large jug, then pour into the pan with 250ml cold water and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Make a bouquet garni by tying the thyme, rosemary and bay together with string, then add to the pan and bring everything to the boil. Take the pan off the heat and cover with a cartouche - this is basically a scrunched up piece of greaseproof paper that you place directly on the surface of the food. Cover the pan with tin foil and cook in the oven for 5 to 6 hours, or until beef is tender and falling apart. (Do not allow liquid to dry out.)
When there's about 30 minutes to go, peel and slice the potatoes into 2.5cm chunks. Add to a large pan of cold salted water, place over high heat and bring to the boil, then cook 10 - 15 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile (if using,) remove and wash the outer green leaves of the cabbage, then roll them up like a cigar and finely slice. Add the sliced cabbage or curly kale to a pan of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender, then drain.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave to steam dry, then return to the pan and mash well with the butter and horseradish. Season to taste, and add a little more horseradish if it needs it. Divide between plates and spoon over the greens, then pull the beef apart with two forks, pile on top and finely grate over a little fresh horseradish. Scatter over any reserved celery leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Serve and enjoy!