Stews make hearty winter meals

Press, 24 June 1985, Page 8

Stews make hearty winter meals

COOKING with Celia Timms

For flavour-plus nutrition, I doubt if there is any meat dish to beat a good casserole or stew, with the additional advantage of it being easy to cook. Stews or casseroles should be cooked slowly — simmered. A crockpot or slow cooker is the ideal and most economical method of cooking a stew. You can’t really overcook them, because all the goodness remains in the pot. If there is a disadvantage, it is the rather frightening list of ingredients, but that’s what a good stew is all about — a pinch of this and a squeeze of that. Pork or lamb casserole This dish is certainly a casserole and must be cooked in the oven — a combination of chops, potatoes, apples, and tomatoes baked in one dish. For four persons you need: 4-6 pork or lamb short loin chops Flour; salt and pepper 3 tomatoes 4 potatoes 2-3 cooking apples 1 tablespoon melted butter ’A cup brown sugar Yt teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs 1 onion, grated or finely chopped ’A cup melted butter 1 small egg Method: Toss the chops in seasoned flour and arrange in shallow greased ovenproof dish. Peel potatoes and cut into halves, lengthwise; brush with a tablespoon of melted butter. Place in dish alongside chops. Cut unpeeled apples into halves crosswise after coring. Combine brown sugar with cinnamon and put spoonful of this mixture into centre cavities of each apple half. Place in dish. Mix breadcrumbs, onion, */4 cup melted butter and beaten egg and season with salt and pepper. Spread this evenly over the chops afd halved tomatoes.

Reserve tomatoes. Place dish containing chops, potatoes and apples into 200 C oven uncovered, for 10 minutes. Pour in quarter cup of stock or water and continue cooking at 160 C for 40 minutes or until meat and potatoes are tender. Twenty minutes before serving add prepared tomatoes to dish and more stock if too dry. Lift chops, potatoes, apples and tomatoes to serving dish. Thicken liquid in dish with a little flour, stirring well until browned. Add 1 cup stock and continue to stir until thickened. Steak with pineapple Cooked on top of the stove in a heavy-based pan, this stew has a delicious flavour. It can be cooked in a slow-cooker. For four or six servings you need: 1 kg blade steak 1-2 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon paprika 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small can pineapple pieces 1 teaspoon meat extract or Mannite 1 beef stock cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water ■A cup wine vinegar Yi cup sliced celery lb cup sliced green pepper 1 cup sliced onion 2 large tomatoes 1 tablespoon soy sauce 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon cornflour % cup water Method: Trim any excess fat from meat and cut into generous sized cubes; toss with a teaspoon of salt and paprika. Heat oil in pan and brown the seasoned

Drain off fat. Drain pineapple and add syrup to the meat. Stir in dissolved stock cube and meat extract and two tablespoons of wine vinegar. Cover and simmer over low heat until meat is tender, about IVz hours. Add celery, onion and green pepper. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are barely tender (crunchy). Add skinned tomatoes cut into wedges and the pineapple pieces. Blend soy sauce, brown sugar, cornflour, remaining wine vinegar and Vi cup water and stir into stew. Simmer for a few minutes until clear and thickened. Serve with hot rice or vegetables. Steak with orange Another dish which can be cooked on top of the stove, in a low oven or in a slow-cooker. You need, for four persons: 1 kg blade or chuck steak 30g cornflour Salt and pepper 2 onions Clove of garlic, 2 beef stock cubes. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 carrots 1 small green pepper 2 oranges Method: Trim fat from meat and cut into cubes. Toss in cornflour seasoned with salt and pepper, coating well. Heat oil in pan and saute meat, chopped onions and crushed garlic; drain off fat. Add sliced carrots. Thinly peel one orange using a potato peeler and cut removed peel into matchlike strips. Add half of this to the meat, reserving remainder for garnish. Add half of the sliced green pepper. Squeeze oranges and combine the juice with stock cubes and enough boiling water to make three cupfuls; pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer for about lVz-2 hours or until meat is tender. Serve garnished with reserved sliced green pepper and orange peel.