Beef Stew with Cheese Cobblers

It's starting to get a bit chilly outside, and the nights are drawing in, so what better way to warm up than with a hearty meal! This dish is made using swede, parsnip and carrots. All in season and delicious at this time of year, and of course available from Soul Food!

For the Beef Stew you will need....
700g stewing beef, cut into chunks.
Cooking oil.
Plain Flour, seasoned.
2 onions, sliced.
3 carrots thickly chopped.
1 large parsnip, thickly chopped.
1 small swede, peeled and chopped.
3 cloves of garlic, crushed.
750ml beef stock.
1 bouquet garni
2 Bay leaves.
Salt and Pepper.
Worcestershire Sauce.

1) Preheat the oven to 180c/Gas mark 4. Heat some cooking oil in a flameproof casserole dish. Add the onions and cook gently, stirring often, until soft. Then add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Using a slotted spoon remove the onions and garlic from the dish and set aside.
2) Coat the stewing meat in the seasoned flour. Heat a little more oil in the casserole dish, then on a high heat, brown the stewing meat.
3) Return the onions and garlic to the dish. Add the chopped vegetables, bouquet garni, bay leaves and beef stock. Stir, season with salt and pepper and add Worcestershire Sauce to taste. Put the lid on the dish and transfer to the oven. Allow to cook for 1.5 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

To make the cheese cobbler you need.....
250g self raising flour
150g cheddar cheese, grated
175ml milk
1.5 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
1 egg, beaten.

1) Put the flour in a mixing bowl with 120g of the grated cheese.
2) Gradually stir in the milk until the mixture forms a soft dough - you might not need all of the milk.
3) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead.
4) Using your hands, squash the dough to about 1inch thickness. Cut out 8 scone sized pieces.
5) Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
6) Remove the stew from the oven and place the scones on top of the bubbling stew. Return to the oven and increase the temperature to 220c/Gas mark 7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7) Serve in warmed bowls with buttered bread. Delicious!!

Rhubarb and Bramley Apple Crumble

My new flavour at Soul Food this week is Rhubarb. Rhubarb has a reputation for being a bit on the sour side, but if you treat it well and cook it properly it is delicious! The recipe below is to feed about 6 people. Trust me, it's really easy, and the end result is fantastic!

Rhubarb and Apple Crumble.
400g rhubard chopped into 2cm pieces.
1 large apple - peeled, cored and chopped into chunks (see all chopped up).
4 tablespoons of caster sugar.
For the crumble topping...
100g plain flour
125g caster sugar
60g porridge oats (not instant)
60g butter/margarine.

1 - Preheat your oven to 200c/180c fan/Gas mark 6.
2 - Place your chopped up fruit in an oven proof dish (I used a pie dish) and sprinkle over the 4 tablespoons of caster sugar. Mix it all together so that the sugar is evenly spread over the fruit.
3 - Place your flour and butter in a mixing bowl and, using your finger tips, rub it all together until it looks like breadcrumbs.
4 - Pour in the oats and sugar and rub in again with your fingers. It will feel a bit more chunky! (See picture "Crumble topping)
5 - Sprinkle your crumble topping over the chopped fruit until it's fully covered.
6 - Bake on the middle shelf for 40-45 minutes until lightly golden on the top.
7 - Allow your crumble to stand for 5 minuts or so before serving as it is EXTREMELY HOT. Serve with custard, ice cream, cream or just by itself.

I hope you have a go at making this. It's a great homely pudding that's cheap to make and counts as one of your five a day!

Trying something a bit different.....

Trying something a bit different can be a bit scary! Today I'm trying blogging for the first time and it's a bit stressful. I guess a lot of people struggle with trying new things too, and in my experience running Soul Food one of the things people struggle with the most is different foods. Every week I get questions along the lines of "What's that called?" and "How do I cook that?" and "What does that taste like?"
To be honest, sometimes I don't know what the answers are! So I decided to write this blog. Each week I will pick one of the fruits or vegetables I stock at Soul Food and cook it. Then I'll post the recipe and a picture of how mine turned out. Hopefully that will encourage everyone to try something a bit different and answer some of the questions too. Also, each week on the stall, I hope to have a recipe card available for the featured produce - that way anyone who doesn't have a computer can join in too!

Thanks for reading!