I think the day I discovered that I didn't have to follow a recipe in order to be able to cook changed my life in the kitchen. Not having any formal knowledge, my culinary skills have come from lots of reading and even more practicing. Not all of my attempts have been successful. I have had meals that turned out so bad that we went out to eat instead. The great thing about using a recipe is that it is a blueprint for a delicious meal and if you follow it you dish should be a success. But when you feel adventurous enough, learning to go off-roading in the kitchen can really change who you are as a cook. Whether it is altering a dish to fit your taste, creating an entirely new dish using a recipe as your foundation or by just taking inspiration from a concept and creating a dish from scratch, it is a exhilarating feeling. Because not only does it mean that you are growing in your culinary skills but it also means that you have grown to know what flavors go together, what herbs could be added to make the dish pop, how to substitute and get similar results. Just knowing these things without the aid of a recipe is very freeing and allows you to be as creative as you want.
Today's recipe was a combination of several inspirations. My husband and I bought several beers from the farmers market over the weekend but we are trying to restrict our drinking to only the weekends so I wanted to use up the last dark ale so it wouldn't be in the fridge tempting my husband during the week. My second inspiration came from the weather, being typical English weather it has been very unpredictable. I woke up to blue skies and warm sun but by noon the clouds had rolled in and the temperature took a dive and by late afternoon it was raining. So I decided I wanted something warm and filling. After doing some research I decided that Steak and Ale stew was just what I was looking for. But the only problem was I couldn’t find a recipe that utilized all of the ingredients I wanted in it. So I decided to experiment and use a recipe I found on BBCgoodfood.com and just alter it to fit with what I had on hand.
Steak and Ale Stew
3 Tbsp of olive oil
500g (1 lb) of stewing beef,
cut into large chunks
1 onion, chopped
4 medium sized potatoes,
diced
4 carrots, sliced
2 Tbsp flour
500 ml dark ale
1 beef stock cube
1 tsp sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Heat oven to 160C/320F. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in large skillet, adding the meat when the pan is nice and hot. Don’t add the meat until your pan is hot. This will allow you to quickly brown the meat without cooking the middle. Set aside.
In
an oven proof pan add the rest of the oil and the onion, potato and carrots stirring
well so the veggies don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes
and then scatter over the flour and stir.
If you don’t have a oven proof pan
cook the veggies in a pot and then you can transfer it before it goes in the
oven.
Tip
the meat and any juices in with the veggies and give it all a good stir.
Pour
over the ale and crumble in the stock cube.
Season the stew with the herbs, salt,
pepper and sugar. Bring everything to a simmer.
Cover
with a lid and place in the oven for about 2½ hrs until the meat is really
tender.
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