You are browsing the archive for Meat.

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Honey and soy pork stir fry

April 3, 2012 in Asian flavours, Meat

5 Comments »

I don’t know about you, but this week I’m feeling and witnessing alot of negative energy that I do not enjoy nor entertain. So in the spirit of keeping things light and not taking yourself too seriously, I give you my pork stir fry recipe. It is a winner, winner, piggy dinner! xx

Honey and soy pork Stir fry
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: +- 12 minutes

500 g pork loin or neck cut into thick strips
1 T garlic and ginger paste
1 chilli, chopped(if you don’t want it too hot, take seeds
out)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 T oyster sauce

2 T cooking oil
1 onion, sliced
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup brocolli florets or mangetout
6 baby corns, halved lengthways
100 g pak choy (chinese cabbage), baby spinach or sliced cabbage
2 t corn flour

200g chinese egg noodles, cooked until aldente and refreshed
in cold water
3 T sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan
handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Combine the paste, chilli, honey, soy and oyster sauce
together. Add the pork strips and allow to marinate for 15 minutes at room
temperature.

Heat the oil in a wok and brown the pork strips(keep the
marinade aside for the sauce) in portions then remove from the wok.

Add more oil if necessary and fry the onion, carrots,
broccoli and corn for about 3- 4 minutes. Add pak choy and allow it to wilt
then add the pork strips back to the wok and fry for another 2 minutes or so.

Mix the corn flour and left over marinade together and
slowly add around the sides of the wok stirring all the while until the mixture
heats through. The stir fry should look nice and glossy.

Lastly toss through the cooked egg noodles, sesame seeds and
coriander. Keep on the heat until heated through.

Serve immediately!

TIPS:
For a variation, replace pork with chicken breasts or prawns.
I love using pork neck for this recipe, so succulent and tender.
Add bean sprouts and peanuts for extra texture and flavour.

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Simple steak and glass noodle stir fry

November 15, 2010 in Asian flavours, Meat

7 Comments »

What to do with left over braai?

We had loads of left over rump steak from our get together over the weekend. This always happens. Our eyes are too big for our stomachs and we cook too much! Copious amounts of cheese, snacks and wine gets consumed and by the time the food is ready – we are literally filled to the brim. But you all know me by now, “waste not, want not”.  After an indulgent night, a light and tasty stir fry was in order – using a medium-rare braaied rump steak, some veggies in the fridge, glass noodles in the cupboard and finishing off with some asian flavours…soya sauce, oyster sauce, coriander etc. P.s. I’m loving glass noodles, so light and quick to prepare, they look awesome and carry flavours very well.

This truly was a delight to eat on a hot summer’s evening…

You will need: 

Serves 2

1/2 packet of glass noodles

15 ml cooking oil

1 small onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 chilli, chopped(remove seeds for a mild heat)

1 large courgette, thinly sliced with vegetable peeler

2 carrots, julienned

1/4 cucumber, cut into batons ( I just love fried cucumber!)

300 g left over medium rare rump steak

30 ml soy sauce

30 ml oyster sauce

handful of coriander

Pour boiling water over the glass noodles and stand for 5 minutes, then refresh with cold water.

In a HOT oiled wok, fry the onion, garlic and chilli briefly.

Add the courgette ribbons, carrots and cucumber to the wok and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the steak strips and heat through.

Pour the sauces around the sides of the wok and toss through, together with the noodles.

Add more soy sauce if needed.

Remove from the heat and add the coriander.

Eat asap!

If you are using raw steak, fry the steak first in the hot wok, then remove and continue frying the remaining ingredients, add back into the wok when it’s time to add the sauces etc.

 

Try with shredded left over chicken adding peanuts and sprouts…YUM!

 

If you have left over lamb chops, why not slice up the meat and toss it in a stir fry replacing the coriander with mint and soy/oyster sauce with sweet chilli or plum sauce?

 

 

Some other Asian inspired stir fries to try:

Sweet and sour chicken and veg chow mein

Beef stir fry in black bean sauce

 

 

Thought this may come in handy for some of you this week xx

 

P.s I’m extremely bummed that my favourite contestants, Justine and Chris, are out of the finals in Masterchef AUS. Julie = no comment.

 

C xx

 

 

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Summery spag bol

November 1, 2010 in Meat, Pasta

14 Comments »

When we think of a quick weeknight dinner, we automatically think pasta and the most common one would be spaghetti bolognaise. I have many versions of a bolognaise. My favourite one is when I do a mirepoix and I use a combination of mince(beef, lamb and pork or some chopped up bacon). Depending on my mood, I add red or white wine with stock and allow it to reduce together with tomato puree etc. However, when I am lazy I do the bare minimum spag bol. Onion, beef mince, tomato puree, stock, dried herbs, salt, pepper, sugar. Toss it with spaghetti and grated cheese and done!

 

I haven’t made this pasta dish since the weather started heating up, but last week I had this vision of a summery spag bol – ordinary bolognaise and spaghetti combined with greens(basil, baby spinach, rocket), rosa tomatoes and grated cheese tossed through at the end! YUM!! The heat from the sauce wilts the leaves and melts the cheese to perfection.

 

You will need:

Serve 2-4

 

250 g whole wheat spaghetti, cooked in salted water until al dente and drizzled with olive oil

 

15 ml olive oil

+- 500 g lean beef mince

1 onion, chopped

1 tin of tomato puree

+ – 125 ml prepared beef stock

5 ml dried mixed herbs

10 ml sugar

salt and pepper to taste

 

250 ml combination of grated mature cheddar and parmesan cheese

Handful each of basil, baby spinach and rocket

125 g baby tomatoes, halved

 

Heat the oil in a saucepan and brown the meat then remove and set aside.

In the same pan, saute the onion until soft, return meat to the pan together with the puree, stock, dried herbs and sugar, cover and bring to the boil. Once it starts to bowl, remove the lid and reduce the heat to a moderate temperature allowing the mince sauce to simmer gently for +- 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Add the cooked pasta, greens, tomatoes and cheese to the mince sauce and toss until well combined. Adjust seasoning again if need be.

 

Eat as is – no need to serve with a salad – the salad is already in there!

This is when you add the pasta, greens and cheese to the mince sauce.

Moments later

 

Sexy isn’t it?

 

Have a fabulous week lovelies!

 

And my motto for the week is…

 

“Don’t sweat the small stuff!”

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Simple steak salad after the “groot braai”

September 27, 2010 in Meat, salads

7 Comments »

We woke up on Saturday morning with dishes piled to the roof after our “groot”  braai the night before. It was all worth it though, good times! Our fridge was filled with left overs, particulary, steak (it was a bring and braai – everyone took advantage of the woolies steak promotion, i suspect). So with the steaks in mind, we opted for a light lunch – a simple steak salad.

No recipe needed…I sliced left over steak(rump) into thin slices and tossed it with mixed salad greens, sliced salad onions and a few ripe baby tomatoes. Drizzle with Ina Paarman Blue cheese salad dressing. A bit of freshly ground pepper. Serve with crusty bread.

Here’s to a awesome week all!

C x

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Lamb chop and veg korma made from bits and bobs

August 5, 2010 in Curries and casseroles, Meat

4 Comments »

Do you ever find yourself with a fridge full of half used ingredients from veg to canned goods? Well this happens in our home often, and is also when I create some of my best recipes. I had a few lamb chops in the freezer, 1 tomato, 1/2 a broccoli, 1 sweet potato, 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 small tub of bulgarian yoghurt, 1/2 can coconut milk, a few raisins…the list goes on. I cannot handle wasting, so this is what I made…

 

Lamb chop and Veg korma made from bits and bobs

serves 4

15 ml cooking oil

6 lamb chops(or 500 g stewing lamb)

2 onions, finely chopped

30 ml Korma spice – I use Spice Mecca

1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped

1/2 tin chopped tomato

1/2 tin coconut milk

1/2 to whole tub of Bulgarian yoghurt

10 ml sugar

1 sweet potato, cubed

a handful of raisins

1/2 broccoli, cut into florets

10 ml lemon juice

salt and pepper to season

 

Brown the meat in the heated oil, then remove and set aside.

Gently saute the onion and spice until soft and golden.

Add the meat back into the pot, together with the tomatoes, coconut milk, yoghurt, sugar and potato and raisins.

 Simmer covered for +- 40 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Add the broccoli and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Add lemon juice and season.

Thicken with a bit of cornflour if need be.

Serve with couscous or rice.

 

This was just divine! You could use full tins of all the above, then you would just increase your veggies and meat. Loved the sweetness of the raisins, imagine adding a few dried apricots?

 

Wow, this week has flown by!

 

C xx

 

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Wokking it with Beef stir fry in black bean sauce

July 5, 2010 in Asian flavours, Meat, vegetables

10 Comments »

I’m very much into “wok” food at the moment. Just waiting for the rain to hit Cape Town again, then I will continue with my comfort food extravaganza, until then I’m wokking it! I love that dark black bean sauce that the chinese add to their beef dishes, so thought I’d give it a bash too!

 

Beef Stir fry with Black bean sauce

Serves 4

 

You will need:

 

1 T vegetable oil

+- 400 g Beef strips or sliced rump

+- 150 g egg noodles, cooked al dente

1 pkt spring onions, sliced

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red pepper

2 carrots, julienne

1/2 broccoli, broken into florets

FOR SAUCE:

3 T black bean sauce

1 t honey

2 ml corn flour

1 t soya sauce

Fresh coriander(optional – I just love it with everything!)

 

Heat oil in awok until it is smoking hot, fry the beef strips until almost done. Remove and set aside.

Add the onions and peppers, fry for a minute, then add the carrots and broccoli, fry for another minute.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together to form a paste. Add the meat back into the wok, heat through and add the sauce, continue frying until glossy and thickened. Will take no more than a few seconds. Toss in the cooked noodles and some coriander, mix well and serve immediately.

 

Dinner is served!

Avatar of bitsofcarey

by bitsofcarey

Lazy Sunday’s Beef in Red wine casserole

June 27, 2010 in Curries and casseroles, Meat

4 Comments »

Beef cubes slow cooked in Shiraz until tender served on a bed of sweet potato mash topped with Parmesan shavings…

 

 

Serves 4

 

You will need:

 

1/4 cup flour

500 g beef goulash

1 T olive oil

1T butter

2 onions, sliced

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

4 carrots, thickly sliced

500 ml Shiraz or good red wine of your choice

250 ml hot beef stock

3 T / 45 ml tomato paste

2 T / 30 ml sugar

3 sprigs of Fresh rosemary

 

Coat meat in the flour.

In a large pot, brown the meat in the heated oil and butter then remove and set aside.

In the same pot saute the onions and carrots for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes.

Return the meat to the pot followed by the wine, stock, paste, sugar and rosemary.

Cover and simmer gently for 2 1/2 hours or casserole in the oven at 160 degrees for the same amount of time.

Season.

 

About 30 minutes before the casserole is ready,  prepare the sweet potato mash.