Main:  Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Woolies Fresh Mag – June 2020

Dessert:  Banbury Apple Pie
Delicious Mag June 2020

The Banbury Pie is linked to a town in Oxfordshire and is from a recipe found in a 1928 newspaper.  You will find this and many of these wonderful British recipes in Oats in the North, Wheat from the South: The History of British Baking, Sweet and Savoury by Regula Ysewijn

Hi Everyone!

Hope you’re all keeping well and enjoying your cooking.  I love to bake but the only thing that holds me back is the fact that I also like to eat the baking.  Get my drift?  Hmmmm…..  I am sure I’m not alone in that.  The recipe for the apple pie this week was from Delicious Mag, however, that in turn was from the book I mention above.  The English really DO baking and this book is one I’m very keen to buy.  I did make a couple of my own adjustments but I will talk about that later.

Firstly the wonder of the slow cooker for creating an easy and heart warming meal with very little effort never ceases to amaze me.  We can use cheaper cuts of meat thereby keeping the weekly budget in check as well.  This recipe calls for the searing of the meat and the veg.  Now, I prefer this when slow cooking even though there is no argument that a recipe where you throw it all in and turn on the timer are super quick and easy.  By sealing the meat and browning off  the veg it adds another layer of flavour and colour to the dish.

BUT, I have a confession.  I did try the custard in this recipe (I will include that one) but I flunked out.  It’s expensive with 5 egg yolks too.  I knew I was sunk when I read “make sure the mixture doesn’t get too hot or you will end up with scrambled eggs”.  Yep! scrambled eggs it was.  I don’t have induction cooking and I think that it was needed to get the heat low enough.  At least I gave it a try right?  And that’s what this blog is about.  Maybe you will have better luck. If you don’t want any custard at all that’s ok too because the pie works wonderfully with ice cream.  This scored 9/10 also. Seconds all round.   Everyone was happy.  The MAV even ate the pasta.

Until next week…..

From my table to yours with love x

Slow Cooker Beef Ragu

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 600 g beff chuck fat trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 large brown onion finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 carrot finely diced
• 1 celery stalk finely diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 c dry red wine
• 420 g can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 c salt-reduced beef stock
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• 375 g pkt fresh egg fettuccine
• grated parmesan and chopped parsley to serve

Method

 

1. Heat 1tbs oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add one-third of the beef and cook, turning, for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a 5.5L slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
2. Add onion to same pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for 8 minutes or until softened. Add garlic, carrot and celery, then cook for a further 8 minutes or until tender. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer for 3 minutes or until reduced by half. transfer mixture to slow cooker. Add tomatoes, stock, thyme, bay leaf and sugar to slow cooker, then stir to combine. Cover with lid, then cook on low for 8 hours or until beef is very tender.
3. Add pasta to slow cooker, gently stirring into ragu to combine. Cook on low for 3 minutes or until pasta is tender. Divide ragu mixture among bowls. Serve topped with parmesan and parsley.

Banbury Apple Pie

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 c milk
• 1 c pure cream with at least 40% fat
• 25 g raw (demerara) sugar
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 2/3 c plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 100 g pure icing sugar, sifted
• pinch sea salt
• 125 g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped, plus extra softened butter to grease
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water `
• 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tbs milk to wash
• 1 kg red apples Jonagold or another red variety
• 100 g raw (demerara) sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 50 g currants
• 25 g candied citrus peel
• 50 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Method

 

1. For the pastry, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and whiz for 8 seconds or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the gg and water and whiz until the dough forms a ball in the bowl. Remove from the bowl and knead briefly. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, to make the custard, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan with the sugar, nutmeg and bay leaf over medium heat. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl. discard the bay leaf, then pour a little of the warm milk mixture onto the egg yolks and beat well (this prepares the egg yolks for the warm mixture). Pour the rest of the milk mixture onto the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and cook over a very low heat, stirring with a spatula continuously, for 15-20 minutes until it starts to thicken. Make sure the mixture doesn't get too hot or you will end up with scrambled eggs. Pour the thickened custard through a fine sieve into a jug. Cover the jug with foil to prevent a skin from forming on the custard.
3. Preheat oven to 190°c. Cut the apples into slices and then into thirds. Combine with the sugar and spices and mix well. You need 650g of chopped apples.
4. Butter the pie plate and dust with flour. Thinly roll out half of the pastry on a floured work surface and place in the pie plate. Brush the rim of the pastry with the egg wash.
5. Spoon half of the apple mixture into the pastry. Sprinkle the currants over the top and then add the candied peel. finish with the remaining apple mixture and the butter cubes.
6. Thinly roll out the rest of the pastry, lay it over the apple mixture and cut away the excess. Press the rim of the pie well with a fork or crimp with your fingers for a scalloped effect. make a cross or as hole in the middle of the pie so that the steam can escape. Decorate with the leftover pastry and brush wit the egg wash.
7. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving warm with ice cream, custard or copious amounts of clotted cream.