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BLACK BEEF STEW
This winter stew is packed with flavour
from the beef, flat mushrooms and black olives. Serve with a glass of
Australian Shiraz, which has heaps of peppery spice
Serves 4
3
tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic,
peeled and crushed
700g/1 1 /2 lb chuck steak or topside, cut in large
cubes
1 tbsp seasoned flour
1 bottle red wine
150ml/ 1 /4 pt beef
stock
2 large flat mushrooms, trimmed
16 whole black olives
Salt
and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Heat 1
tbsp sunflower oil in a pan and fry onion with garlic until soft but not brown.
Transfer to a flameproof casserole.
Dust meat with seasoned flour and shake
off excess. Add remaining oil to pan and fry meat in batches over a high heat
to brown. Transfer to casserole.
Pour 1 wineglass red wine into pan and
bring to bubbling, stirring to scrape up sediment. Pour into casserole with
remaining wine and stock. Bring to bubbling, cover and simmer for 1
hour.
Slice mushrooms thickly and add to casserole with black olives.
Simmer, covered, until meat is tender. Season, sprinkle in chopped parsley and
serve with mashed potato.
Preparation time: approx 20 minutes
Cooking time: approx 2 hours
Approximate nutritional values per person:
495 calories, 32g protein, 20g fat, 13g carbohydrate |
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GRIDDLED HALLOUMI SALAD
A French red wine like a Vin de Pays d’Oc, made from Cabernet
Sauvignon grapes, is good with the fresh flavours in this Mediterranean salad
which bring back memories of summer
Serves 4
1 x 400g can
artichoke hearts, drained
2 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut in large
pieces
1 red onion, peeled and cut in wedges
3 large, firm but ripe
tomatoes, cut in wedges
3 tbsp olive oil
100g/4oz halloumi, sliced
16 whole black olives
Few fresh basil leaves
For the
dressing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp
Greek extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
First make the dressing. Mix Dijon mustard
and white wine vinegar together in a jug. Whisk in olive oil and season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pat artichoke hearts dry on kitchen
paper and halve. Place in a large bowl with remaining vegetable pieces and
drizzle over 2 tbsp olive oil. Season.
Preheat a griddle pan and cook
vege-tables in a single layer until charred and slightly soft. Do this in
batches so as not to overcrowd the griddle pan. Reserve each batch, keeping
warm.
Brush halloumi cheese with remain-ing 1 tbsp oil and add to hot
griddle pan. Cook briefly over a high heat to char slices on both sides.
Transfer to a large bowl. Add griddled vegetables, black olives and fresh
basil. Toss lightly to coat and combine then heap into warmed bowls to
serve.
Preparation time: approx 20 minutes
Cooking time: approx 15 minutes
Approximate nutritional values per
person:
335g calories, 8g protein, 34g fat, 10g carbohydrate |
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OLIVE PUFFS
These mini one-bite pizzas are simply irresistible as canapés
at a celebration party. Serve while still slightly warm. A bottle of fizz
– champagne or a value-for-money sparkling wine from the New World –
is in order here
Serves 4
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
4
tomatoes, thinly sliced
100g/4oz mozzarella, cut in small pieces
10
black olives, stoned and halved
8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and cut
in slivers
1 tbsp fresh snipped chives for garnish
Place puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured worktop. Cut little
circles using a small, plain-sided, round pastry cutter. Lay on an oiled baking
tray and part-bake in a preheated oven at Gas 6, 400°F, 200°C for about
8 minutes, until pastry is just risen and beginning to brown.
Remove from
oven and lay a tomato slice on each pastry base. Top with mozzarella pieces,
black olive halves and anchovy fillet slivers. Return olive puffs to hot oven
until bases are crisp and golden and mozzarella cheese has melted.
Serve
olive puffs on a large platter sprinkled with fresh snipped
chives.
Preparation time: approx 15 minutes
Cooking time: approx 15 minutes
Approximate nutritional values per person :
77 calories, 3g protein, 5g fat, 7g carbohydrate |
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RED SOUP WITH BLACK CROUTES
Red pepper soup served topped with savoury croutes spread with black
olive paste. Choose a red wine from the Penedés region of northeast
Spain with this
Serves 4
4 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled
and roughly chopped
8 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
2 carrots,
peeled and chopped
1 x 200g canned chopped tomatoes
600ml/1pt chicken
or vegetable stock
12 thin slices from 1 baguette
Freshly ground white
pepper
For the paste
100g/4oz black olives, stoned
1 clove
garlic, peeled and chopped
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
4 tbsp extra
virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Good squeeze of lemon
juice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large deep pan and fry onion, peppers
and carrots for a few minutes over a low heat. Pour over tomatoes and stock and
bring to bubbling. Simmer gently until vegetables are tender.
While soup is
cooking, make the black olive paste. Place black olives in a blender with
garlic, anchovies and 1 tbsp olive oil. Whizz to blend then gradually add
remaining olive oil with the motor running slow. Season with freshly ground
black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in chopped
parsley.
Heat remaining sunflower oil in a pan and fry croutes on both
sides until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and reserve.
Whizz soup
smooth in a blender, adding a little more hot stock if necessary, until the
soup has the consistency of single cream. Season with freshly ground white
pepper.
Spread croutes with olive paste. Serve soup in bowls with croutes on
a plate to float on top of the soup just before eating.
Preparation time: approx 20 minutes
Cooking time: approx 25 minutes
Approximate nutritional values per person :
411 calories, 7g protein, 35g fat, 21g carbohydrate |
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