French-style Veal Chop with Minced Meat

Ingredients

2 double veal chops
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup dried white bread crumbs, soaked in 2 tbsp cream until soft
all-purpose flour
bread crumbs
2 free-range eggs
vegetable oil (enough to shallow-fry)
salt
black pepper

Method

1. Take the meat off the chops and set the bones aside. Trim the meat and remove any sinew, then mince the meat with the butter and mix in the softened bread crumbs. Season the mixture well, then shape it along each chop bone to reform the shape. Place the chops in the fridge to set.
2. Spread the flour and bread crumbs on separate plates and whisk the eggs in a bowl.
3. Dust the chops with flour first, then dip them into the egg, and lastly coat with bread crumbs. Place the chops in the fridge again to chill and set before frying — don’t be tempted to skip this step, as it is important that the chops be firm before frying.
4. Heat enough vegetable oil in a frying pan for shallow-frying. Add the chops and gently brown them all over. Turn them carefully so that all of the crumb coating is beautifully golden — you’ll need to hold each chop with tongs to brown the edges.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the browned chops in the oven until the meat is cooked but still pink, about 15 minutes. Slice each chop in half and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The French Kitchen

A Healthy Version of the French Classic Beef Burgundy

Ingredients

l kg lean boneless topside or rump steak, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 5 cm cubes
1 onion, sliced
1 tablespoon plain flour
3 tablespoons brandy, warmed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
bouquet garni
freshly ground black pepper
about 750 ml dry red wine or homemade low-salt beef stock
20 tiny pickling onions, peeled
185 g button mushrooms, thickly sliced
chopped parsley to garnish

Method

1. In large, deep, flameproof casserole, heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil over moderate heat. Cook meat in batches until evenly browned.
2. Add sliced onion. Cook and stir until softened.
3. Add the flour. Cook and stir a few minutes more.
4. Add brandy and ignite. When flames disappear, reduce heat to low.
5. Add garlic, bouquet garni and plenty of pepper to taste. Add enough wine or stock to cover meat. Cook until simmering.
6. Cover casserole with lid or foil. Bake at 160°C for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Stir in whole onions. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
8. Stir in mushrooms. Continue baking until meat and vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes more.
9. Discard bouquet garni. Sprinkle stew generously with parsley. Serve directly from the casserole.

Makes 6 servings.

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How the recipe was made more healthy than the traditional recipe:

• By leaving out the bacon from the original recipe, we’ve considerably reduced the salt content (you’ll find the wine and beef naturally salty) and omitted much of the fat.
• By trimming all visible fat from the leanest beef, we’ve reduced fat and cholesterol.
• Instead of browning the meat in butter, we’ve used polyunsaturated olive oil to reduce cholesterol and calories. (You can omit the oil entirely. The meat will brown in a heavy-based saucepan if you add just a little stock to prevent it sticking.)
• By not frying the whole onions in butter to glaze them, we’ve again omitted cooking fat and thus calories.
• For a gluten-free recipe, substitute half a tablespoon potato flour or cornflour for the regular plain flour.
• By using plenty of fresh herbs in our bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaves, parsley, a stick of celery), we’ve enhanced the flavour without the need for salt.

Source: Family Circle magazine

Indian-style Curry with Beef, Cauliflower and Peas

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ghee
1 kg beef chuck steak, cut into 3 cm pieces
2 brown onions, thinly sliced
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh bay leaf or dried bay leaf
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam marsala
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 long green chilies, seeded (optional), finely chopped
2 cups beef stock
2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
8 fresh curry leaves
1/2 cauliflower, cut into florets
200 g natural yogurt
1 cup fresh peas or frozen peas
steamed Basmati rice, to serve
papadums, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Heat half the ghee in a large flameproof casserole pan over medium-high heat. Add one-quarter of the beef and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until brown all over. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat in 3 more batches with remaining beef, reheating pan between each batch.
3. Heat remaining ghee in pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens.
4. Add the bay leaf, cumin, coriander, garam marsala, paprika, turmeric, mustard seeds, ginger and chili and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until aromatic.
5. Add the beef, beef stock, tomatoes and curry leaves and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
6. Bake in preheated oven, loosely covered, stirring occasionally, for 1-1/2 hours.
7. Add the cauliflower and yogurt and stir to combine. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until beef and cauliflower are tender and sauce thickens slightly.
8. Add the peas and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
9. Spoon evenly among serving plates. Serve with steamed basmati rice and papadums, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Taste magazine

Stir-fried Beef Sirloin with Chili Sauce and Creamy Garlic Potatoes

Ingredients

1 pound lean, boneless sirloin steak
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
vegetable cooking spray

Chili Sauce

1/2 cup peeled, chopped tomato
2 tablespoons chopped carrot
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Garlic Potato

3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-sodium Swiss cheese
vegetable cooking spray

Method

1. Combine all chili sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place mixture in container of an electric blender. Cover and process until smooth. Keep warm and set aside.
2. Cook sliced potatoes in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Melt margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and saute 2 minutes.
4. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
5. Add cheese and cook just until cheese melts, stirring constantly.
6. Arrange half of potatoes in a 1-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with half of sauce. Repeat with remaining potatoes and sauce. Cover and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
7. Trim fat from steak; partially freeze steak. Slice steak diagonally across grain into thin strips; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add steak, and stir-fry 4 minutes or to desired degree of doneness.
9. Serve immediately with chili sauce and garlic potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Italian-style Beef Tenderloin with Orange Sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 tenderloin steaks (each weighing about 6 oz)
4 tbsp marsala
4 tbsp red wine
2 Seville oranges
salt and a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in as heavy a frying pan (skillet) as you have. Brown the steaks for a minute on each side. Retrieve them from the pan and set them aside in a very warm place. (An oven at 275°F would do.)
2. Over a very high heat, add the marsala and red wine to deglaze the pan.
3. Lower the heat, zest the oranges and add both juice and zest to the pan.
4. If you prefer your meat medium, return the steaks to the pan and re-heat them as the juices reduce. For rare steaks, cook the wine and juice down to a consistency of light syrup before you return the meat.
5. To serve, pour the juices over each steak. Arrange the zest in an attractive way on top of the meat. Sprinkle with salt and a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Complete Italian Cookbook