Monday, June 11, 2018

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

I've lived in Australia for 29 years and have never cooked this before. I think it has Irish-American  origins and is eaten on St.Patrick's  Day. I'm attracted by the cheapness, $6 per kilo in Aldi.
I thinned the white sauce with some of the broth from cooking the meat to add flavour, but discovered that Steve doesn't like white sauce. I thought the meal was delicious. However, the girls were put off by the saltiness as I hadn't pre-boiled the meat as described below.





Ingredients:

1.5 kg corned beef
1 onion, quartered
10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
1/4 white cabbage, chopped


Method:

First wash the meat in the sink, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then discard the water. Repeat this process to remove excess salt before adding to the slow cooker. It is called corned beef as it was originally made using kernels or "corns" of salt. These days it is pickled in brine. Removing the saltiness is a matter of personal taste which is why most recipes don't mention it. Some people like it salty.

Add all the ingredients (other than the cabbage, carrots and celery) to slow cooker and cook on auto/shift 6 hours, or slow 7 hours, adding the carrots and celery about half time.  Remove the meat and wrap in foil to keep warm. Add chopped cabbage to the pot and cook for a further half hour on low.
Serve sliced with white sauce, veggies from pot and potatoes.

Leftovers can be turned into fritters with sweetcorn or made into a hash in the frying pan with onion, red pepper and grated potato (squeezed to remove excess liquid).

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Tuna and Rice Pie


Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups chicken stock
half cup of semi-dried tomatoes, chopped
200g Bocconcini cheese, sliced
100g baby spinach leaves
425g can tuna in oil, drained and flaked
half cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons basil pesto
5 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
extra Parmesan for topping


Method:

1. Preheat oven 180C. Grease and line the base of a 20cm spring form baking pan.

2. Cook the onion and garlic with the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until softened. Transfer to a large microwave safe bowl with the rice and stock. Stir and then microwave for 15 minutes on high. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

3. Mix in the other ingredients and tip into prepared baking pan, smoothing and pressing down with the back of a spoon.

4. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, adding a topping of extra Parmesan cheese towards the end.

5. Serve with a salad.