Coconut Beef CrockPot Recipe
Day 225.
I bought some really cheap stew meat the other day, and played around with a few different coconut and curry recipes to make a coconut beef. I was concerned that the meat wouldn’t tenderize as much as I would like—because I needed to cook it on high in 4 hours, instead of low for 8. I didn’t need to worry. The meat was tender and infused with a great coconut creamy flavor.
The Ingredients.
—1-2 lbs stew meat
—1 yellow onion, cut in chunks
—1 can coconut milk
—1 juice from one lime
—2 T of butter (optional. I used it, but don’t think it needs it next time)
—2 cloves chopped garlic
—2 tsp brown sugar
—1 tsp curry powder
—1/2 tsp ground coriander
—1 tsp cumin
—1 1/2 T chili paste (or 1-2 tsp red chili flakes)
—1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
The Directions.
I used a 6qt Smart-Pot for this dish. Anything 4qt and up will work.
If using, put butter into crockpot, and turn it on to begin to melt. Add meat, lime juice, and coconut milk. Follow with the onion and garlic. Add the brown sugar and all the spices. Grate the ginger. Toss meat a bit in the liquid and spices to coat.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8.
The coconut milk will be yellow from the curry, and will separate a bit. A quick stir will turn it all creamy again.
Serve over white or brown rice.
The Verdict.
I liked this a lot. So did the kids, Adam, and my in-laws. We will most definitely make this again. Although it looks like there are a lot of ingredients, don’t be intimidated. Once you find all the spice bottles, it comes together really quickly. This can easily be assembled the night before. Like always, if you are going to use a crock straight from the fridge, let it sit on the counter for a bit to warm up before plugging in. You aren’t supposed to “shock” the crock.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/search/label/red%20meat
Gordon Ramsay's celeriac lasagne
And without a warning Gordon-season has crept in on you. The nation has been watching a lot of him on TV these days, but I am up for the double-whammy and am devouring his new book at the same time. To be honest, I am really useless at boosting viewer numbers and our TV set really a waste of money - but this time I had even put a note in my calendar and still only managed to watch his “kitchen nightmares” twice. The book is a fantastic read, though, but I think I've said that often enough now.
One of my favourite recipes in there is for celeriac lasagne. As I said with the celeriac soup I posted the other day I really love this vegetable and I have set out on a mission to save it from oblivion. This “lasagne” does not contain any pasta, it's simply layers of cooked celeriac slices and celeriac purée, topped with a bit of parmesan (which you can well do without) and popped in the oven for just 15 minutes. The result is a creamy side dish of celeriac which I love to serve with steak or a Sunday roast... so simple, but utterly delicious.
Gordon Ramsay's celeriac lasagne
(serves 4 as a side dish)
1 large celeriac
juice of 1 lemon
60 g butter
4 tbsp double cream
salt and pepper
nutmeg
25 g parmesan - optional
Peel the celeriac and cut in half. Use the one half to cut 5 mm slices and trim to fit the dish you're cooking this in. I sometimes use a big soufflé dish, but on other occasions I serve it in individual ramekins of about 8 cm diameter. Put in a bowl water acidulated with half the lemon juice. Dice the remaining celeriac and cook in salted water with the rest of the lemon juice for about 15 minutes until tender. Lift out with a spoon and transfer to a food processor. Use the water to cook the celeriac slices until tender, but keeping their shape, about 10 minutes. Blend the celeriac cubes smoothly with the butter and double cream, season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside. Preheat the oven to 220 C.
Butter your soufflé dish or individual ramekins. When the slices are cooked to the required consistency, drain them and arrange a first layer on the bottom of the dish/es. Spread some of the celeriac purée over it, then repeat these layers to fill your dish/es, finishing with a bit of the purée. Sprinkle with some parmesan if you like and put in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown on top.