It was great to see the National Ploughing Championships went well, with some pleasant weather to boot.
I have been there with the Irish Farmers Journal every year for the last 16 years and always really enjoyed it – especially meeting so many interesting people while doing my cookery demos. It is always one of the highlights of my year.
I was not there this year because, as people who see my social media will know, I am travelling around in the North and visiting some beautiful coastal towns for my next television series. While the sun was shining in Ratheniska, we were also grateful for the good weather while recording.
Now for this week’s recipes — this beef dish has a real Chinese feel to it. Fillet is the most tender cut of beef, but it is also the most expensive. I sometimes use rump cap, which is also very tender.
I have, at times, made this with chicken, turkey or pork. You could also substitute carrots or peppers for the broccoli. You will find Chinese black beans in an Asian supermarket; they give a lovely savoury flavour to this dish.
They are not expensive and keep well. This is a tasty, quick meal to rustle up for hungry people who have been at school all day.
I normally make this tagine with lamb shoulder in a slow cooker. It is gorgeous, but takes hours. For this quicker version using chicken, you could use breast meat, but I think the thighs have that bit more flavour.
There are lots of warm, aromatic spices in this recipe, but they are not hot, so it is a great dinner for children. As you know, I am a great fan of Mileeven honey, made by the Gough family in Co Kilkenny, and enjoy using it in this recipe.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Ingredients: Serves 4
450g beef fillet
350g purple sprouting broccoli
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp Chinese black beans, coarsely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped root ginger
3 tbsp chicken stock
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
Steamed rice, to serve
For the marinade:
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese rice wine
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Cut the beef into thin slices, then place in a bowl with the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and cornflour. Season to taste and mix well to combine. Set aside at room temperature for five minutes to allow the flavours to combine.
2 Meanwhile, trim the broccoli and cut into 7.5cm pieces on the diagonal. Set aside until needed.
3 Heat a wok or large frying pan until very hot. Add the oil and swirl it around until it’s very hot and slightly smoking.
4 Tip in the beef from the marinade and stir-fry for two minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander.
5 Tip the onion into the wok with the garlic, black beans and ginger and stir-fry for one minute. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for another minute. Add the stock, rice wine and sugar and season to taste.
6 Continue to stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, until the broccoli is slightly tender.
7 Quickly return the beef to the wok, add the oyster sauce and stir well to combine. Place on warmed plates with some steamed rice to serve.
Ingredients: Serves 4
8 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced into strips
2 tbsp tomato purée
450ml chicken stock
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint, plus extra leaves to garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steamed herby couscous, to serve (optional)
Method
1 Trim down the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the honey, spices and one tablespoon of the olive oil. Season generously, then stir well to combine and set aside for at least five minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
2 Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat in a large sauté pan with a lid, then sauté the onion and garlic for 4–5 minutes, until softened and just beginning to brown.
3 Add the marinated chicken and sauté for a minute or two, until just sealed and lightly browned. Add the chickpeas to the pan with half of the tomatoes and the red pepper, tomato purée and stock, then bring to a boil.
4 Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and the sauce has slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.
5 Stir the remaining tomatoes into the pan and season to taste again, then add the lemon juice, coriander and mint. Stir to combine and arrange on warmed plates with the couscous and scatter over the mint leaves to garnish.