Week 47: Boeuf Bourguignon

The Recipe
175g bacon, chopped
900g lean braising steak, e.g. rump steak, cut into 2.5cm cubes (in Danish: tyksteg el. cuvette/culotte)
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp oil
12 shallots, peeled but left whole
2-4 garlic cloves, chopped
175g mushrooms, quartered
450ml red wine
150m beef stock
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs each of fresh thyme, parsley and marojam, tied together
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 160C.

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bag. Add the beef and toss until coated.

Over medium-high heat, cook the bacon in a large, ovenproof casserole, until golden brown. Remove bacon from pot and put aside. Add the butter to the pot and brown the beef in batches. Set aside with the bacon.

Add the oil to the fat remaining in the pot. Cook the shallots and garlic until fragrant and just starting to turn brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the wine and give it a good stir, to loosen up all the brown bits in the bottom of the pot. Return the beef and bacon to the pot and stir in the beef stock. Add the herbs and bring to a boil.

Cover and cook in the oven for ~1.5hrs. Season to taste and serve with mashed potatoes and some green beans.

The Verdict
SO good! No doubt a good part of that was due to the high quality of the meat and wine (we didn't just get the cheapest), but this recipe was so ridiculously easy that nobody could mess it up :-D Getting everything prepared took a tad longer than expected, but I'd still consider it a really good dish to make for company, because of it's long cooking time, where it really can just be left alone. Might be worth while to try to adapt it for the crock pot as well.

Week 46: Salmon w. Mango

The Recipe
400g salmon filet
1 piece of baking paper
1 mango fruit
Herbs of your choice
2tbsp orange juice
50g feta cheese or cream cheese

Peel the mango and cut it into wedges.

Place the salmon on the baking paper. Distribute the mango on top. Add herbs and drizzle with the orange juice. Add crumbled feta cheese or 'blobs' of cream cheese on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Close the paper around the fish and place the package in an ovenproof dish. Bake at 200C for about 25 minutes.

Serve with potatoes.

The Verdict
Really good!! I had it with cream cheese, but think it would taste just as nice - but very different - with the feta, so am keen on trying that too. Really yummy and creamy, and the flavours worked very well together.

Week 45: Asian Glazed Chicken

The Recipe
1lb chicken breasts
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp balasmic vinegar
1/2 tbsp honey
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
The green bits of 2 spring onions

Mix together everything but the chicken and spring onions. Add the chicken and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and transfer to the air fryer basket. Cook for 7-8 minutes on each side or until cooked through (mine took a bit longer, next time I think I'll cut them into halves).

Meanwhile transfer the marinade to a small pot and cook over medium-low heat until it reduces slightly. Add the spring onions last minute.

Serve over rice.

The Verdict
The chicken wasn't quite cooked through at first, and then I cooked them for too long the second time around, so they ended up rather dry, unfortunately. I think I'll cut the breasts in halves next time, so the original cooking time will fit better. Also, there really wasn't much marinade left to turn into a drizzle, so I may double all those measurements for next time.

All in all, I think I'd say it was good, but not great. Made the kitchen smell amazing though, so definitely might make it again.

Week 44: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

The recipe
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup uncooked red lentils
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 15oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce (depending on whether or not it needs to be vegetarian)
1/4 tsp dry mustard or 1/4 tbsp dijon mustard
A dash of red crushed pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high 5-6 hours, until the lentils are cooked through and the mixture thickens. Open the slow cooker and, using a potato masher, mash about 1/3 of the filling. Give it a good stir and let it cook for another 30 minutes or so.

Serve over toasted burger buns.

The Verdict
I don't think I cooked it for quite long enough as both the lentils and chickpeas were still rather hard - not quite crunchy, but they would have been better had they been cooked for a bit longer, I think. But I did like it, and it's easy enough to make, so will probably try it again.