The Cottage Smallholder

Beef in beer used to be a big hit in Bistros in London in the 1970’s. Although I ate out a lot in those days, I can’t remember actually sampling beef in beer. All that I can recall now are hummus and taramasalata starters with slim cut warm pitta bread – still a favourite with Read More »

When I have the energy I cook in advance. The kitchen fills with steam for a day. Danny is banished. We end up with a pile of ready or almost ready meals frozen in thin packs. I used to freeze in large cubes and realised that thin, grip sealed bags would be a far better Read More »

  As you know Danny haunts the Tesco *CFC when he does the evening post run to Newmarket. He finds spectacular bargains – lots of seafood (responsibly harvested otherwise passed over by his giant paws) and this week a 1 kilo joint of brisket of beef reduced to just £1.50. I’d not cooked brisket before Read More »

  I remember our best pot-au-feu recipe meal. Years ago Danny and I were in Paris. We had wandered deep into a residential area. Feeling peckish we were on the lookout for a good restaurant but could find nothing. The time was about 7 pm. It was Sunday and the streets were empty. Then we noticed Read More »

“How about Wiener Schnitzel for supper tonight?” Danny looked unimpressed. Picking through the freezer I had found some small veal escalopes that I’d picked up from the Tesco *CFC a few weeks ago. One was a little smaller than my hand and the other barely reached across my palm. Wiener Schnitzel seemed the sensible option. Read More »

  “This is the first time ever that I’d be happy if you left your other shopping on the counter.” The pretty woman in TKMaxx joked. We had been talking about the skirt of beef that I had just bought. She had never heard of the cut but as you know it has become a Read More »

  Waitrose has teamed up with Delia Smith and Heston Blumenthal to produce recipes that customers can make at home. This is quite a clever promotion as you don’t have to rush about the shop looking for the specific ingredients as they are all on the display stand. Some of the ingredients had me goggle Read More »

A great beef stir-fry need not have much meat. You can pad it out with most any vegetables you have to hand. Slice your beef thinly to 2mm bites and take care to cook the veggies starting with the tougher ones that may take longer.

Skirt of beef (also known as Flank Steak, Fajita Meat, Skirt Steak and Philadelphia Steak) is not well known in the UK. It has an excellent texture and flavour somewhere between sirloin and fillet steak. It can be used as a fried steak or here in a stir fry as well as in stews.

  I had a yearning for spaghetti and meatballs yesterday. I have no idea why as I don’t think that I’ve ever eaten this dish in my life but somehow the combination appealed. I spent a morning in the kitchen creating the sauce. My challenge was to use as many dehydrated ingredients  as possible and Read More »