Beef and Guinness Stew

Celebrate St Patrick's Day with this hearty Irish stew.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 800g chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled, chopped
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup Guinness beer
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
• mashed potato, to serve

Method

1. Place flour and salt and pepper in a snap-lock bag. Add steak and shake to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook steak, in batches, for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat remaining oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion, carrot and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Gradually stir in Guinness. Add stock and bay leaves. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return steak and any juices to pan. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
4. Remove lid. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until steak is tender. Remove bay leaves. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mashed potato into shallow bowls. Spoon over stew and serve.

Duck and Ginger soup

Serves 8
Cooking Time Prep time 10 mins, cook 3 hours
1 (about 2.2kg) duck
12 green onions, trimmed
10 cm piece ginger, thickly sliced
2 pieces cassia bark
60 ml (¼ cup) fish sauce
5 star anise
1 cup (loosely packed) each coriander and mint leaves
½ cup (loosely packed) Vietnamese mint leaves
To serve: lime wedges

Step 1
Place duck in a large saucepan and cover with water, bring to the boil over medium heat, then drain, add 8 green onions, ginger and spices and cover with 4 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 3 hours. Add fish sauce and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
Step 2
Remove duck from liquid and place on a platter. Strain liquid and skim fat, then ladle broth among serving bowls. Coarsely shred duck meat and add to bowls. Thinly slice remaining green onions and divide among bowls, scatter with herbs and serve immediately.

Lamb Cutlets with bean, strawberry & Feta Salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 12 french-trimmed lamb cutlets
• 1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
• 2 lemons, very thinly sliced
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
• 2 tbs raspberry* or red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 500g French or thin green beans, blanched
• 400g small strawberries, sliced
• 400g feta, crumbled

Method

1. Place lamb in a shallow dish and drizzle with 100ml oil. Add the lemon slices, half the mint, and season. Toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Whisk remaining oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Toss together beans, berries, feta and remaining mint.
3. Heat a barbecue or chargrill to high and cook lamb, in batches if necessary, 2-3 minutes each side. Cook lemon slices for 1 minute. Toss salad with dressing and serve with lamb and lemon.

Tomato & Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
2 zucchini, ends trimmed, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, ends trimmed, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
700ml tomato pasta sauce (Passata Sauce)
Pinch of sugar
Method
To make the tomato & vegetable sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, zucchini, celery and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften.
Add the passata to the pan. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.
Uncover and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Add the sugar and stir until well combined.
Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the gnocchi among serving bowls. Spoon over the tomato & vegetable sauce. Sprinkle with basil and parmesan to serve.

Home Made Gnocchi

GNOCCHI
1 kg starchy potatoes (e.g. desiree), whole with skins
2 small eggs (or one large), lightly beaten
320 g plain flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
Although potato gnocchi remains the most common version, the dish can be made with pumpkin, sweet potato or breadcrumbs, or flavoured by mixing the dough with spinach, saffron or truffles.
METHOD
Choose potatoes about the same size and place in a pan of cold water.
Bring to the boil then simmer for 45 to 60 minutes.
When potatoes are dry and hot, peel and mash with a mouli, potato ricer or masher.
On a board or working surface make a well with 3/4 of flour then add potato, eggs and a pinch of salt.Mix well then knead and as soon as the dough comes together, stop adding flour (excess flour will make the gnocchi hard and chewy).
Let dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.Dust hands and board with flour; flatten the dough into a loaf shape.Cut the dough into rounds about 1.5cm thick.
Dust again and roll each piece lightly until cylindrical.When you have made three at a time, cut them into little nuggets of dough, lightly dusting at all times.
They don't need to be perfect - it is nice when they look rustic - but should be the same size to cook properly.Press and roll each piece with your fingertip to create a curl. Remove excess flour. Boil large pot of salted water, put gnocchi in and keep stirring until they rise to the surface after a minute or two.

Choclate Brownies

Ingredients
200g unsalted butter, chopped
200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup gluten-free plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a 5cm deep, 18cm (base) square cake pan with non-stick baking paper.
Heat butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture. Mix well. Sift flour and cocoa over chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.
Pour brownie mixture into pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until just set. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, lift out. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place into an airtight container. Stand for 1 day. Cut into pieces. Serve.

Berry Parfaits

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g low-fat vanilla yoghurt
• 1/2 cup thickened cream, whipped
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
• 1/2 cup icing sugar mixture, sifted
• 250g strawberries, hulled, quartered
• 125g raspberries
• 125g blueberries

Method

1. Combine yoghurt, cream, orange rind and half the sugar in a bowl.
2. Combine berries in a bowl. Reserve one-quarter of the mixed berries. Using a fork, lightly crush remaining berries. Stir in remaining sugar.
3. Layer yoghurt mixture and crushed berries in 4 glasses. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, if time permits. Top with reserved berries. Serve.