Bobotie

This is one of South Africa's traditional dishes. Every time we make it I have to fight to get a photo before it is devoured.... as you can see, I still have not succeeded, but that's because it is so delicious. Even my 5 year old grandson, Caleb, loves it. He calls it, "That yummy meat and eggs with rice Grampa makes...".

This dish has been known in the Cape since early in the 17th century where it was constructed by the Cape Malay servants based on an Indonesian dish known as "bobotok", which consisted of meat with a custard topping that was cooked in a pan of water until the egg mixture set. It was originally made with the leftover meat scraps, chutney or fruit from the "Master's Table". The early Cape Malays would have used ginger, herbs, lemon rind, lemon leaves or bay leaves and nutmeg, but today curry powder is used, but don't forget to add a little nutmeg to the meat mixture and sprinkle a grating of this pungent spice over the egg mixture. Traditionally, bobotie incorporates dried fruit like apricots or sultanas - don't use raisins as they are sweeter than sultanas. Chutney may also be added to the meat mixture. Although not particularly spicy, the dish incorporates a variety of flavours that can add complexity. For example, the dried fruit contrasts with the curry flavouring. The texture of the dish is also complex, with the baked egg mixture topping complementing the milk-soaked bread which adds moisture to the dish.

I was taught to make this dish when I was 6 years old by my Mother's old Aunty Katie from Lichtenburg, in the northern Cape. She insisted it was not Bobotie without nutmeg and bay leaves !

Sadly, I cannot claim this as a handed down version from my Mother as she died quite young and never wrote her recipe down, just put it together from memory when she baked it. I have adapted this from recipes I have found and what I remember my Mother - and Tannie Katie - concocting. Anyway, here's my recipe, which can serve 4-5.

Ingredients:
1 fairly thick slice crustless bread (white or brown)
375 ml milk
12.5 ml oil
5ml butter
1 onion, sliced
5ml chopped garlic , or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 ml curry powder
5ml salt
12.5ml chutney
10ml smooth apricot jam
7.5ml Worcester sauce or soy sauce
2.5ml turmeric
2.5ml nutmeg
12.5ml brown vinegar
500g beef or lamb mince
50 ml sultanas (don’t replace with raisins – they are too sweet)

4-5 dried apricots, cut into strips
3 eggs
a pinch of salt
a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg
3-5 bay leaves

Method:
Soak bread in milk. Heat oil and butter in large pan and fry onions and garlic. When onions are soft, add curry powder, salt, chutney, jam, Worcester sauce, turmeric, nutmeg and vinegar. Mix well.

Drain and mash bread - reserve the milk. Add bread to the pan together with mince, sultanas and apricots. Cook over low heat, stirring, and when meat loses its pinkness, remove from stove.

Add 1 beaten egg, mix well, then spoon into a greased, baking dish and level the top.

Beat remaining eggs with reserved milk (you should have 300 ml, or a little more) and salt. Pour over meat mixture and put a few bay leaves on top. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.

Stand the dish in a larger pan of water (this is important to prevent drying out) and bake, uncovered, at 180˚C for 1 hour or until set.

Serve with rice, grated coconut, fruit chutney and sliced bananas.

P.S. I'll get a better photo next time we make it!

Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1kg beef stew meat, cubed (use a cheaper cut such as brisket or chuck)
5ml chilli powder (use paprika if you don't want the heat)
2.5ml garlic powder
1-2ml celery seed
2.5ml salt
2.5ml black pepper
60ml flour
1 clove minced garlic
5ml Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 chopped celery stalk
1 chopped onion
4 sliced carrots
4 diced potatoes
250ml (1 cup) beef stock
125ml (1/2 cup) BBQ sauce

Instructions:
Set the crock pot on low. In a bowl, mix together the chilli, garlic powder, celery seed, salt, pepper and flour. Add the cubed beef and coat it in this mixture. Once the beef is entirely covered, empty the entire bowl into the crock pot. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the potatoes. Cover and cook on either low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. Two hours before the stew is ready, add the chopped potatoes.

Serve with rice, noodles, or putu (for our American friends, putu is a mealie meal, or corn, dish similar to grits).

Note:

This BBQ beef stew asks for 1/2 cup BBQ sauce. We used Steers, as it's one of the only BBQ sauces available here. You can use one of your choice or make your own. Here's a recipe I saw recently that looks delicious and even uses Liquid Smoke.

Spicy, Smoky BBQ Sauce

Curried Mince

This recipe is so easy to prepare that it almost feels like a cheat method for no-hassle mince. With mince, there’s no worrying about whether the meat is cooked through, as you would have with chunks of meat. Mince doesn’t have to be checked for tenderness, and other ingredients can be added and subtracted as you please. There’s also no link between effort and scrumptiousness!

Ingredients:

7.5ml salt

7.5ml Red Freezer Masala

10ml turmeric

5ml grated ginger root

10ml vinegar

400g beef or lamb mince

30ml ghee

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces

7.5ml sunflower oil

375ml water

100g frozen peas

2 tomatoes, coarse chopped in a blender

Pan Spices:

2-3 cardamom pods

3-4 whole cloves

4-5 pieces Indian cinnamon

To Garnish:

5ml garam masala

30ml coriander, finely chopped

Method:

Prepare the marinade:

Mix the salt, Red Freezer Masala, turmeric, ginger and vinegar into a paste. Press this thoroughly through the mince with the back of a spoon.

Heat the ghee in a saucepan on medium-high. When hot, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and sizzle for ½-1 minute. Add the onion and braise, stirring, for 3-5 minutes until translucent to golden brown.

Add the mince to the pot and mix well into the onion. Brown for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly , breaking up the meat to prevent clumping until the mince juices have reduced considerably.

Reduce the heat, add the potatoes then add 7.5ml oil and about 60ml water and stir. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix in the peas and chopped tomatoes into the mince, add about 200ml water Stir gently and cover, returning the pan to a simmer for 15 minutes. The dish is done when the potatoes are cooked through. Adjust for the required amount of gravy by adding water in small amounts, heating between each addition.

Garnish with garam masala and fresh coriander. Serve rolled in roti or as a filling for bread rolls or Vetkoeks. 

Beef Teriyaki Crisps with Wasabi Mayonnaise

Ingredients:
For the Marinade:
30ml fresh orange juice
30ml soy sauce
15ml sweet rice wine
15ml honey
5ml grated fresh ginger

250g flank steak, trimmed
sunflower oil

For the Mayonnaise:
125ml low fat mayonnaise
10ml wasabi paste
10ml rice vinegar

To Serve:
24 baked rice crackers
Pieces of fresh chives to garnish

Method:
To prepare the steak, combine the ingredients for the marinade in a large zip-lock plastic bag. Seal and allow the meat to marinade in the fridge for 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove the steak from the bag; discard the marinade. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; add enough sunflower oil to the pan to give it a light coating. Add the steak to the pan and grill on each side for 5-6 minutes, or until desired degree of cooking. Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Cut the steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Cut these slices into 2 inch pieces.

Combine mayonnaise, wasabi paste and vinegar, stirring well to blend. Spoon 2-3ml mayonnaise mixture onto each cracker, place a piece of steak on top of mayonnaise and top with a little more mayonnaise mixture. Garnish with chive pieces.

Mild Curry Puffs

These delicious curry puffs can be made with 

shop-bought puff pastry, 

as long as you use all-butter pastry. 

If you prefer to make your own pastry, 

then use flaky pastry or puff pastry. 

Ingredients:
500g ready-made puff pastry

Filling:
150g beef or lamb mince
80ml sweetcorn
1 red chilli
1 cm root ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, grated
10ml mild curry powder
a handful of coriander leaves, chopped
2-3 curry leaves, shredded
1 small onion, chopped fine
2.5ml salt
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
10ml sunflower oil

Method:

Add the oil to a frying pan and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger until soft, but not coloured. I add the salt at this stage, which helps them to soften by drawing out their liquid into the pan. This also prevents them caramelising. 

Add the curry powder and mix through the onions. Now add the beef or lamb mince and stir until browned.

Add the sweetcorn and combine with the mince mixture.

Take off the heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. If the filling is too hot when put into the pastry, the pastry melts, stretches and breaks. When the filling has cooled completely, add the coriander and mix through.

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Roll out your pastry to 3-4mm thick. Cut the pastry into 7-8cm squares.

Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each square, being careful not to allow the filling to spill over the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg. Fold the pastry over to form a triangle and seal along the edges with a fork. Use a sharp knife to make a tiny cross on the top of each puff to allow the steam to vent while cooking before you egg wash the top of each pastry. 

Place the pastries on a baking tray and put in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to take them off the tray. Place the pies on a cooling rack and serve them warm. They are nice warm than piping hot, then you get to taste them, and they are delicious.

Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g finely minced lean lamb or beef
pinch of salt
1 onion, finely chopped
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground allspice
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped coriander leaves
olive oil

Method:

Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor until smooth and pasty.

Wet your hands to stop the mixture from sticking, and form small balls.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs. Test the tiny meatballs after 5 minutes; larger ones may take 10 minutes.

Drain well on kitchen paper.

The meatballs can also be partially cooked and finished in the oven.

Make smaller meatballs if serving with drinks. The mixture will yield about 40 cocktail-sized meatballs and about 25 larger ones to serve as part of a meal.

Meatball Curry

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 green serrano chile, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Sea salt

Curry:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
4 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-inch piece) ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
1 (14-ounce can) full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh Coriander leaf
2 teaspoons lime juice (about half a lime)

Serving suggestions:
Rice, Indian bread, such as naan or chapatti or spaghetti

Method:
For the meatballs: 
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, chile, ginger, coriander leaf and 1 teaspoon salt together using your hands until just combined. (Don't mix any more than this or you'll end up with tough meatballs!) 
Make 16 balls like this: divide the mixture in half, and then in half again. Take each quarter and divide it into 4 small portions. Roll each portion between your palms until smooth. Set aside and repeat for all 16 meatballs

For the curry: 
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil until nearly smoking. Add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid so you don't get popping seeds all over you.
When the spluttering subsides, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and cook until golden brown. Then add the ground coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir, and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes until they soften.
Add the coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Turn down to a simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
To finish, add the cilantro and lime juice. Shake the pan gently to mix them in, and then taste for seasoning. Serve over rice, with Indian bread (naan or chapati) or over spaghetti!

Topside Roast with Balsamic Onion Sauce

When you cook beef slowly until it is tender and falling apart it's like ambrosia. Add to that a simple sauce made from caramelised onions, balsamic vinegar and beef stock and you have a marriage made in heaven! 

This recipe is all about the sauce! 

Ingredients:
750g - 1.5 kg topside beef roast
20ml olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced very thinly
1 clove of garlic, chopped
250ml beef stock
15ml Worcestershire sauce
15ml balsamic vinegar
5ml corn flour
Sea salt to taste (depending on your stock you may not need to add any at all)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 165˚C. Leave the roast joint at room temperature for at least an hour before starting cooking.
Put the roast joint into a cast iron roasting pan with about 250ml water.
Cook covered for about 3 hours, depending on the weight of the joint of meat.
When the roast is tender enough to fall apart, gently shred the meat with a pair of forks and toss in the remaining juices in the pot. The meat should absorb the juices and stay warm. Keep the pot covered while you make the sauce. 
In a smalll saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly for about 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then to ensure nothing sticks to the pan. When the onions are slightly brown and tender, add the garlic and toss with the onions. Cook for a further minute. Add about 3/4 of the stock, the Worcestershire sauce and the vinegar and bring to a simmer.
Whisk the corn flour in the remaining stock and pour this mixture into the sauce and simmer on low until the sauce reduces and thickens. Pour over the shredded roast and toss to combine.
Enjoy!

Moussaka

Moussaka is a great standby for those family gatherings when you need to be sure you have enough food for the multitude, and it makes a nice change to lasagne, LOL. Make it in advance, leaving you time to chat with friends while it cooks in the oven... Yum, love it!

Ingredients:

Eggplants and meat sauce: 

5-6 medium large brinjals (aubergines)
A pinch of salt (do not use salt substitute- salt is used to eliminate the bitter taste of the eggplants)
Olive oil for sautéing and broiling
3 medium onions, peelled and chopped into small pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
7 whole garlic cloves
black pepper, to taste
2.5ml of freshly ground cinnamon 
1ml allspice
2 fresh bay leaves
750ml ripe tomatoes chopped (substitute with 750ml canned tomatoes with the juice, if desired)
250ml whole wheat bread crumbs 
125ml red cooking wine
1.3 kg of beef or lamb mince (lamb is the meet traditionally used)
Grated Kefalotyri cheese for garnish (optional, if you can’t get Kefalotyri, use Cheddar) 

Béchamel sauce (6 cups) 

Note: - When doubling the recipe, use no more than 3 yolks. 

200ml plus 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
200g of unsalted butter
1.5L hot whole milk
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2.5ml nutmeg

Method:

Eggplant preparation: 

Wash eggplants and trim the steams. Peel off the skin and cut  
lengthwise into medium-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and 
sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. 

Rinse the eggplant slices and coat liberally with olive oil. Place in a 
baking tray.

Broil for 10-15 minutes, until the eggplant is lightly browned and soft. 
Set aside to cool.

 Meat sauce preparation:

Heat a lightly oiled skillet on medium-low heat. Sauté the onions and 
the garlic for 10 minutes, or until transparent and soft. 

Add the meat and sauté until lightly browned.

Add tomatoes, and sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly

Add the spices tomato paste and wine. Cover the pen and simmer for 45-50
minutes or until all liquids are absorbed. If the mixture still contains liquids, 
uncover, and mix thoroughly for an additional 5 minutes until dry. 

Turn off the heat and set aside uncovered.

 Béchamel sauce preparation: 

To save time, prepare the sauce while the meat is simmering. 

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan under low heat. 

Gradually add the flour, ¼ cup at a time and stir until smooth. Repeat until all of the flour is added.
    
Increase the heat to medium-low and slowly ad the milk whisking constantly, until creamy and 
thick.

Remove from the heat and add the beaten egg yolks and the spices. 

Return to the heat and whisk for an additional minute until all ingredients are combined. Set aside 
to cool. 

Assembly:

To save time, preheat the oven to 180°C before you begin assembling the Moussaka.

On a lightly oiled baking pan, sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs.

Align the eggplants on top of the breadcrumbs.

Spread the meat mixture on top of the eggplants.

Cover the meat with remaining eggplants.

Spread the béchamel sauce on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, and then sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven and bake for an  
additional 15-20 minutes until the top becomes golden brown.

Meatnuts

Ingredients:

750g beef mince
2 eggs
5 mini peppers, diced
5ml marjoram
a few leaves of fresh basil and parsley, chopped
250g bacon

Method: 

Mix together meat, spices, and eggs.
Form into patties, poke a hole in the middle, and thread strips of bacon through the centre, wrapping it around the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, flip over, bake at 425 for fifteen minutes more. If you want crispy bacon, broil for the last five minutes.

Meatball Mozzarella Pasta Bake

 Ingredients:

450 gram Extra lean beef mince

1 Onion, grated

1 sachet KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce

30 ml sunflower oil

1 Red pepper, sliced

2 tins chopped tomatoes

15 ml Italian Herbs

350 gram Penne pasta

100 gram Mozzarella cheese, grated

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then add the penne pasta and cook to al dente, drain and set aside

Preheat oven to 200C

In a bowl mix the beef mince with the grated onion and half of the contents of the sachet of KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce

Shape the mixture into meatballs

Heat oil in a large pan and fry the meatballs until well browned then remove and set aside

Fry the red pepper until tender then add the tinned tomatoes, Italian Herbs and stir in the remaining contents of the sachet of KNORR Savoury Mince Dry Cook-in-Sauce

Return the meatballs to the pan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes

Remove the pan from the heat and toss with the cooked penne pasta

Transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish and top mozzarella then place in the oven and bake until golden brown

Beef Pasta and Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

2 garlic cloves, chopped

5ml dried basil

5ml dried marjoram or oregano

5ml paprika

2ml freshly ground black pepper

1 tin tomato purée

500g beef mince

500g macaroni or other pasta pieces

250ml grated cheddar cheese

250ml grated mozzarella cheese

Method:

Sweat the onions in the oil with a pinch of salt. Add the beef mince and cook it, breaking it up as it browns.

Add the garlic, another pinch of salt or two, along with the herbs, paprika, black pepper and half the tomato purée and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour.

Cook the macaroni in boiling water till it’s half done; drain it and add it to the remaining tomato purée. Taste for seasoning and correct if necessary. Cover and allow to cool.

When the pasta has absorbed the tomato juices, transfer it to a large baking dish (or two smaller dishes if you have a smaller family and want to make it stretch to two meals; the second dish can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen for a couple of weeks).

Cover with foil and bake in a 200 C oven for 40-45 minutes. Just before you’re ready to eat, remove the foil, cover macaroni with the cheese and return it to the oven under the grill until the cheese is bubbling and starts to brown.

This could also be made with minced chicken, lamb or pork or with canned tuna chunks.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g beef mince

500g sausage meat or pork mince

250ml breadcrumbs

15ml Italian seasoning

3 eggs

3 garlic cloves, minced

5ml sea salt

5ml freshly ground black pepper

250g mozzarella cheese, cut into 1cm cubes

Olive oil

Spaghetti sauce

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the beef, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, seasoning, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper well with the hands, massaging all the ingredients together.

Form into 2 inch balls, press a cube of mozzarella in the middle and seal the meat all around it.

Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat balls until golden all over.

Set aside on a plate.

Pour the spaghetti sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer.

Add the meatballs and simmer for about 30 minutes until cooked through.

Serve with spaghetti.

Beef

For a while now I have been thinking that I should make a few changes to my approach to sharing recipes by supplying good, solid reasons for incorporating ingredients in our diets and share the health benefits with my readers. I have been doing a lot of research, study and revision to be able to do this. I hope it will be of benefit in the long run, not only for myself, but for my faithful readers as well. For my first contribution, I have looked into a rather controversial subject - that of eating beef. 

Grass Fed Beef

We have been led to believe that eating red meat is bad for our health, but is it? It appears that it may not be after all. If the truth be known, it depends on how the beef has been raised. Has it been farmed on a massive scale in sheds with concentrates or silage feeds or have the cattle been raised in the fields, eating good green grass as they are supposed to? Which would you chose to eat, the shed fed or the grass fed? I would choose grass fed any day.

A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition is linking grass-fed beef with higher blood levels of omega-3s, which have been associated with positive health benefits, compared to more common grain-finished red meat. Cattle are genetically designed to eat grass, not the grain diet of conventional farming, so it stands to reason that grass-fed cows would be healthier, and healthier for us, than shed fed cattle. This study backs up that notion, concluding that:

Red meat from grass-fed animals may contribute to dietary intakes of LC n-3 PUFA [Omega-3 fatty acid] in populations where red meat is habitually consumed.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, walnuts, and some fruits and vegetables have been recommended for several health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease—interesting because red meat is commonly seen as a villain when it comes to heart health.

People who seek out grass-fed beef usually do so for ethical and environmental reasons, as grass-fed ranchers are typically small, local producers who raise cattle humanely on open pastures, in addition to giving the cows their natural diet. Grass-fed beef also has a better balance of fat and the constituents of that fat are also better balanced for healthy eating. This study's findings may offer another compelling reason for meat eaters to choose grass-fed beef over the conventional kind, even though it's more expensive and more difficult to find.

For a more in-depth look at beef, lets examine the myths and truths about beef.

Myths and Truths About Beef 

With the exception of butter, no other food has been subjected to such intense demonization in recent years as red meat, particularly beef. The juicy homemade hamburger, that delicious marbled steak and the Sunday roast have been accused of terrible crimes such as beef causes heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and autoimmune diseases like asthma, to name just a few conditions it is blamed for.

Let’s take a look at the notion that beef causes heart disease. This actually dates back to the 1950's when the ‘Lipid Hypothesis’ was taking hold. At that time, scientists were grappling with a new threat to public health—a steep rise in heart disease, especially myocardial infarction (MI)—a massive blood clot leading to obstruction of a coronary artery and consequent death to the heart muscle. MI was almost non-existent in 1910, but has been on the increase throughout the 20th century. Many scientists believed that the culprit was cholesterol and saturated fats found in animal foods like butter, eggs and beef. They reasoned that saturated fat and cholesterol raised the level of cholesterol in the blood, which in turned caused the deposition of cholesterol as plaques in the arteries, leading to obstructions and heart disease. This, in a nutshell, is the Lipid Hypothesis.1

This theory was tested in 1957 when Dr. Norman Jolliffe, Director of the Nutrition Bureau of the New York Health Department, initiated the Anti-Coronary Club. With great media fanfare, a group of businessmen, ranging in age from 40 to 59 years, were placed on the so-called ‘Prudent Diet’. Prudent Dieters used corn oil and margarine instead of butter, cold breakfast cereals instead of eggs and chicken and fish instead of beef. Anti-Coronary Club members were to be compared with a "matched" group of the same age who ate eggs for breakfast and had meat three times a day. The results of Dr. Jolliffe's Anti-Coronary Club experiment were published in 1966 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.2 Those on the Prudent Diet of corn oil, margarine, fish, chicken and cold cereal had an average serum cholesterol of 220, compared to 250 in the meat-and-potatoes control group. However, the study authors were obliged to note that there were eight deaths from heart disease among Dr. Jolliffe's Prudent Diet group, and none among those who ate meat three times a day. The truth is that in spite of all the propaganda you have heard, the lipid hypothesis has never been proved. In fact, inadequate protein intake leads to loss of myocardial muscle and may, therefore, contribute to coronary heart disease.3

It is true that beef consumption has increased during the last eighty years, the period of huge increases in heart disease. Today we consume more than half as much beef again than we did in 1909, but poultry consumption has more than doubled and consumption of vegetable oils, including those that have been hydrogenated, has increased more than 4 times, while consumption of butter, lard and tallow has plummeted. Whole milk consumption has halved, while low fat milk consumption has doubled. Consumption of eggs, fresh fruits (excluding citrus), fresh vegetables, fresh potatoes and whole grain products has declined; but consumption of sugar and other sweeteners has almost doubled. Why, then, do today's politically correct dietary gurus continue to blame beef consumption for our ills? Is it because it is the one wholesome food that has shown an increase over the past ninety years?

The most likely causes of increased heart disease in America are the other changes in our diets—huge increases in consumption of refined carbohydrates and vegetable oils, particularly hydrogenated vegetable oils; and the decline in nutrient levels in our food, particularly minerals and fat soluble vitamins—vitamins found only in animal fats.

The only claim that can be made against beef as a cause of heart disease is that some studies have shown beef consumption to temporarily raise cholesterol levels in short term feeding experiments. Other studies have shown that beef consumption, including beef fat consumption, lowers cholesterol levels. But even if all studies show that beef consumption raises cholesterol levels, the only conclusion you can draw is—so what? There is no greater risk of heart disease at cholesterol levels of 300 than at 180, and people with cholesterol levels below 180 are at greater risk of death from other causes, such as cancer, intestinal diseases, accidents, violence and suicide.4 In other words, it's much more dangerous to have cholesterol levels that are too low than cholesterol levels that are too high.

The truth is that cholesterol is your best friend. It is vital for the function of the nervous system and the integrity of the digestive tract. Steroid hormones that help the body deal with stress are made from cholesterol. Sex hormones like oestrogen and testosterone are made from cholesterol. Bile salts that the body uses to digest fats are made from cholesterol. Vitamin D, needed for thousands of biochemical processes, is made from cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a powerful antioxidant that protects us against cancer. It is vital to the cells because it provides waterproofing and structural integrity. And, finally, cholesterol is the body's repair substance. When our arteries are weak and develop fissures or tears, cholesterol is sequestered and used for repair. When cholesterol levels in the blood are high, it's because the body needs cholesterol. Blaming heart disease on cholesterol is like blaming a fire on the firemen who arrive to put out the flames.

What a shame we have demonized red meat because this is one modern food, enjoyed by almost everybody, that is rich in nutrients. Red meat provides complete protein, including sulphur-containing proteins like cysteine. Beef is a wonderful source of taurine and carnitine, needed for healthy eyes and a healthy heart. Beef also provides another key nutrient for the cardiovascular system—coenzyme Q10.

Beef is an excellent source of minerals like magnesium and zinc—you need zinc for clear thinking and a healthy sex life. The fuzzy-headedness that vegetarians mistake for heightened consciousness is really the fog of zinc deficiency. Vitamin B6 is abundant in meat, especially rare meat. Red meat is one of the best sources of vitamin B12, which is vital to a healthy nervous system and healthy blood. Vegetarians are especially prone to vitamin B12 deficiency. One of the first signs of vitamin B12 deficiency is a tendency to irrational anger-—so much for vegetarian claims that we will have a more peaceful, harmonious world if we all just stop eating meat.

If you use the animal bones and hooves to make stock, and use the stock as our ancestors did in soups, stews and sauces, you will get plenty of calcium and the components of cartilage to give you healthy bones and cartilage. If you eat organ meats, as our ancestors did, you will get vital fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin A and D, both of which are essential for protein utilization and mineral absorption. In fact, the one warning we could give you about meat is not to eat it lean. In spite of claims to the contrary, the diet of the cave man was not one of lean meat. Paleolithic man always ate his meat with fat.

The beef industry has been forced to be apologetic about its product because it's very difficult to get the fat out of beef. You can reduce the fat content by using hormones, but you end up with a product that is tough and tastes terrible, not to mention full of hormones. Beef producers need to recognize that the fat is the most important part of the beef, rich in components that promote good health and that help you utilize the nutrients in all the other parts of the beef. In addition to vitamins A and D, fat contributes many important fatty acids, including palmitoleic acid, an antimicrobial fat that protects us against pathogens in the gut. If you want to be sure that you don't get foodborne illness from your hamburger, use full fat ground beef.

Fat also provides a substance called conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, at least it does if the animals have been on green grass.5 CLA is a substance that protects us against cancer and that promotes weight loss—that's right, fat can make you thin, if it's the right kind of fat. And the right kind of fat is also saturated fat which, in spite of what we've been told, plays many important roles in the body chemistry. The scientific literature delineates a number of vital roles for dietary saturated fats—they enhance the immune system,6 are necessary for healthy bones,7 provide energy and structural integrity to the cells,8 protect the liver,9 and enhance the body's use of essential fatty acids.10 Stearic acid and palmitic acid, found in beef tallow and butter, are the preferred foods for the heart.11 As saturated fats are stable, they do not become rancid easily, do not call upon the body's reserves of antioxidants, do not initiate cancer, do not irritate the artery walls.

In fact saturated beef fat is one of the most useful fats in the culinary repertoire. As it is very stable and doesn't go rancid when heated to high temperatures, it's perfect for frying. While we don't recommend a lot of fried foods, we know that our children and grandchildren are going to eat them. Fast food outlets used to fry their potatoes in healthy stable beef tallow. They were crisp, tasted delicious and provided many important nutrients. But the phony cholesterol issue has forced these outlets to switch to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is known to cause a host of chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, bone problems, infertility and autoimmune disease.12

References
1. Enig, Mary G, PhD and Sally Fallon, "The Oiling of America," Nexus Magazine, December 1998-January 1999 and February 1999-March 1999
2. Cristakis, G, "Effect of the Anti-Coronary Club Program on Coronary Heart Disease Risk-Factor Status,"Journal of the American Medical Association, Nov 7, 1966, 198:(6):129-35
3. Webb, J G, et al, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Oct 1, 1986, 135:7:753-8
4. Smith, R and E R Pinckney, Diet, Blood Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review of the Literature, Vol 2, 1991, Vector Enterprises, Sherman Oaks, CA; Ravnskov, Uffe, The Cholesterol Mythshome2.swipnet.se/~w-25775
5. Kelly, M L, et al, Journal of Dairy Science, June 1998, 81(6):1630-6
6. Kabara, J J, The Pharmacological Effects of Lipids, J J Kabara, ed, The American Oil Chemists' Society, Champaign, IL, 1978, 1-14; Cohen, L A, et al, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1986, 77:43
7. Watkins, B A, et al, "Importance of Vitamin E in Bone Formation and in Chrondrocyte Function" Purdue University, Lafayette, IN, AOCS Proceedings, 1996; Watkins, B A, and M F Seifert, "Food Lipids and Bone Health," Food Lipids and Health, R E McDonald and D B Min, eds, Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY, p 101
8. Mead, J F, et al, Lipids: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Nutrition, Plenum Press, 1986, New York
9. Nanji, A A, et al, Gastroenterology, Aug 1995, 109(2):547-54; Cha, Y S, and D S Sachan, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Aug 1994, 13(4):338-43
10. Garg, M L, et al, The FASEB Journal, 1988, 2:(4):A852; R M Oliart Ros, et al, Meeting Abstracts, AOCS Proceedings, May 1998, p 7, Chicago, IL; Gerster, H, International Journal of Vitamin Nutrition Research, 1998:63:(3):159-73
11. Lawson, L D and F Kummerow, "B-Oxidation of the Coenzyme A Esters of Vaccenic, Elaidic and Petroselaidic Acids by Rat Heart Mitochondria," Lipids, 1979, 14:501-50337. OA 59
12. Enig, Mary G, PhD, Trans Fatty Acids in the Food Supply: A Comprehensive Report Covering 60 Years of Research, 2nd Edition, Enig Associates, Inc, Silver Spring, MD, 1995, 4-8

Tamarind and Miso Onglet Steak

Onglet steak is an inexpensive cut that is full of flavour. In France this is a classic bistro and brasserie steak. In this country, we tend not to use it as a steak cut; sadly, it goes into the stewing and mincing bin, along with other similarly tasty cuts of beef. It is, however, slowly starting to gain recognition over here and some gastro-pubs are using it as their steak of choice.

In the US it is referred to as a hanger steak because it hangs from the diaphragm, which comprises the skirt - a cut we are vaguely familiar with but which we often stew. If butchers got a bit more clever with their knives they would break down some of these muscles like they do in France and sell them as prime cuts instead of stewing steak.

Because you get only about 4-6 onglet steaks per animal it may not be commercially viable, but it's worth it because it has such a unique flavour, being next to the kidney on the beast.

If you have a good butcher, he'll know what you are talking about because this cut is sometimes referred to as butcher's steak - the butcher would traditionally keep it for his family as a bit of a treat. You could ask him for a bavette or flank steak which has similar eating qualities, but they need to be trimmed of all muscles and sinew.

Try it with Asian flavours in this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:
For the den miso:
100ml sake
100ml mirin
600g white miso
300g caster sugar

For the steak:
125g tamarind paste
75ml den miso (see recipe above)
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
5ml chopped fresh thyme
6 x 150-175g onglet steaks, trimmed
50ml olive oil

For the watercress salad:
15ml pomegranate molasses
30ml cider vinegar
75ml extra virgin olive oil
2 bunches watercress

Method:
For the den miso, place all the ingredients into a saucepan and whisk over a medium heat until the sugar and miso have dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the steak, mix the tamarind paste, den miso, garlic and thyme in a bowl until well combined. Add the steaks, make sure they are well coated in the marinade and set aside to marinate for at least three hours, preferably overnight.

Heat a griddle or a heavy-based frying pan over a high heat until hot but not smoking - if the pan is too hot, the outside of the meat will burn before it has cooked enough.

Brush the steaks with the oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking.

Transfer the steaks from the pan to a rack, cover with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place for up to 10 minutes - this helps the meat to ‘relax’ and maximises taste and tenderness.

For the watercress salad, whisk the pomegranate molasses, vinegar and olive oil together in a bowl until well combined, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Coat the watercress with the dressing.

To serve, place the steak onto serving plates with the watercress alongside.

Beef and Onion Suet Pudding

This slow-cooked pie with a suet pastry crust is comfort food heaven. Suet pastry is an old family favourite and the first pastry I learned to make. It’s as easy as pie! This pastry is typically English and can be used for savoury and sweet dishes; for the latter you might want to add about 60-100g caster sugar to use for puddings.

Ingredients:
For the filling:
750g stewing beef , diced
50ml plain flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
60ml olive oil
150g whole baby onions, peeled
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
150ml beer
300ml beef stock

For the suet pastry:
500g self-raising flour
250g beef suet
325ml water
Pinch salt

For the cabbage:
50g butter
1 conical cabbage, core removed, shredded
50ml chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Method:
For the filling, preheat the oven to 150C.

Mix the beef, flour and seasoning together in a bowl.

Heat some of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole until hot. Shake the excess flour from the beef and fry, in batches, for 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over. Remove the beef and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil and onions to the pan and fry for 3-5 minutes, or until softened and just coloured.

Return the beef to the casserole and add the garlic and beer. Continue to cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half then add the beef stock and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to cool completely.

For the suet pastry, mix the self-raising flour, suet, water and salt in a bowl to form a soft dough. Do not overwork the pastry.

Roll out three-quarters of the pastry to a 1cm/½in thickness and use it to line a 1.2 litre pudding basin. Fill with the cold cooked beef filling and moisten the pastry around the rim of the basin with water.

Roll the remaining dough to a 1cm thickness and place over the top of the basin. Pinch the edges firmly together and trim off any excess.

Cover with a double layer of greaseproof paper and a single sheet of aluminium foil. Tie around the top edge with string.

Steam the pudding for 1½ hours in a steamer, or on an upturned plate in a covered saucepan half-filled with water.

For the cabbage, heat a frying pan until hot, add the butter, cabbage and 50ml water and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Stir in the parsley, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the pudding in slices with the cabbage alongside.

Steak and Baked Potatoes with Chilli and Garlic Cream Sauce

Now that we are into July, we are also into the full swing of summer with wonderful warm days and long balmy evening. What better way to enjoy these amazing days and extended evenings than to take out the Weber and have a braai. - or barbecue for those of you who are not aversed with South African English...

So many people seem to think that a braai or barbecue is just for sausages, burgers or kebabs, but not in our household; we like to have steaks, chops, even roasts.

I concocted this steak dish to utilise a chutney I bought at a food fair that was held in Ellesmere not so long ago, and even if I say so myself, it turned out divine!

The chutney came from Heather's Harvest, a one-woman home-production outfit in Shrewsbury, UK - not so very far from where we live.

Ingredients: Serves 2

2 large baking potatoes
2 sirloin steaks
steak and chop seasoning

For the Sauce:
30ml olive oil
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
5-10ml chilli and garlic chutney - Heather's Harvest
...... depending on how hot you like it
50ml soured cream
50ml double cream
10ml sugar
5ml Worcestershire sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:
Parboil the potatoes in their skins for about 10 minutes until just beginning to soften, then warp in foil and put on the prepared charcoal fire for about 15-20 minutes, turning from time to time.

Season the steaks on both sides with Steak and Chop Seasoning and grill over a prepared charcoal fire until done to your specifications. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare the sauce, put the onion, garlic and chutney into a mini-blender and blend to a smooth paste. In a small saucepan over a medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the prepared paste. Cook gently until a wonderful aroma arises and the paste begins to become translucent. Add the soured cream and blend into the mixture in the pan, followed by the double cream, stirring gently all the time. Mix in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently to amalgamate the flavours.

When ready to serve, remove the potatoes from the foil, cut across the top and push the potatoes on the sides to expose the soft flaky flesh. Place a potato and a steak on each plate and cover them with the thick, creamy sauce - and enjoy!

Beef and Grapefruit Curry with Rice Wari

This is a rendition of a northern Indian dish in which they use a fruit called the shatkora, which is a citrus fruit similar to grapefruit. As grapefruit are easier for most people to obtain and gives a pleasant result, I have recommended them in this recipe. When buying your stewing steak, look for meat that has a bit of fat on it as this gives a more sumptuous texture to the resultant dish. I like to serve this with wari, a type of dumpling, as a meal in one dish.

Ingredients:
For the Curry
500g chuck or stewing steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
50-60ml vegetable oil
5ml mustard seeds
4-5 cloves
3 pieces of cassia bark
4-5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2ml ground turmeric
5ml chilli powder or tandoori spice
7.5ml freshly ground cumin seeds
7.5ml freshly ground coriander seeds
10ml salt
15ml tomato paste
15ml brown sugar
30-50g ghee
200ml boiling water
1 pink grapefruit
2ml freshly ground black pepper
2ml garam masala

For the Wari
250ml cooked and cooled rice (left over rice is preferable)
10ml coriander leaves, finely chopped
15ml vegetable oil
2ml ground cumin
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
30ml melted ghee for braising

Method:
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cloves, cassia and cardamom pods and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds. Add the onion and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they are soft and lightly browned.

Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and salt and fry for 1 minute. Add the beef and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to turn the meat n the spices and onion. Add the tomato paste, sugar and ghee and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the boiling water, cover and simmer for an hour and a half or until the beef is almost tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the grapefruit. Cut it in half and squeeze out the juice. Cut one half into 2 quarters. Remove the residual membranes from one quarter, leaving the zest, which can be cut into thin strips.

To prepare the wari, mic the rice and other ingredients, except the ghee, and put the mixture through a mincer or blend them in a food processor. Form the dough into small balls about the size of a walnut. Melt the ghee in a frying pan and braise about 12 wari balls for 4-5 minutes, browning on all sides.

When the curry has had its hour and a half cooking time, add the prepared grapefruit zest and the squeezed juice, mixing into the curry. If the curry looks a bit dry at this point, add about half a cup of water and mix it in. Add the wari on the top and cook uncovered for a further 20-30 minutes or until the beef is tender, the gravy has reduced and thickened and the wari have cooked through. Add the black pepper, garam masala and salt if required. Serve piping hot with chutney and sliced banana.

Beef Kofta Curry

I'm back on the curry wagon again, but this time with a difference. This is the Bangladeshi version of meatballs in tomato sauce. You can serve it with spagetti, with chinese noodles or with rice if you prefer. Which ever way you serve it, it's spicy and delicious.

Ingredients:
30ml coriander seeds
15ml cumin seeds
10ml garam masala
10ml paprika
2ml tandoori masala
10ml powdered tumeric
135ml vegetable oil
5ml salt
3 large onions, finely chopped
9 cloves of garlic, crushed
700g minced beef
1 egg, beaten
5ml salt
8 green cardamom seeds
6 whole cloves
3 inch cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces
200g chopped tomatoes, canned is fine
15ml tomato paste
300ml water
24 curry leaves
5 green chillies (long thin ones), slit open lengthways
5ml salt

Method:

Heat a dry, heavy-based pan over a high heat. Add the coriander and cumin seeds and shake them around for a few seconds until they darken slightly and start to give off an aromatic aroma. Tip them into a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder If you don't have one of these wonderful little machines, use a pestle and lortar. Once ground, mix in the garam masala, paprika, tandoori masala and turmeric.

Heat 100ml of the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and fry gently for 10-12 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Add the ground spices and 5ml of salt to the onions and cook gently for another 3-4 minutes. Transfer half of this mixture to a mixing bowl and leave to cool.

Add the minced beef, beaten egg and 5ml salt to the spiced onion mixture in the mixing bowl and mix together well, using your hands. Shape into about 28 golfball sized neatballs and set aside.

To the sweated onions left in the pan, add the green cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick together with the tomatoes, tomato paste, 300ml water, curry leaves, chillies and another 5ml of salt and bring to a gentle simmer.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the meatballs, in batches, frying them for 2-3 minutes, turning them now and then until they are lightly browned all over. Onced browned, drop them into the sauce, part cover and simmer for 20 minutes, carefully stirring every now and then, until the meatballs are quite firm and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Serve hot with spagetti, noodles or rice.