5 meat recipes every gentleman should know

It’s no secret that men love meat – but how many of us actually know how to cook it well? Meat is often something that we assume is simple to prepare; chuck a porterhouse steak on the pan; pop a lamb joint in the oven. Of course there’s a lot more to it than that – as any true gentleman chef will tell you. Here are 5 meat recipes every gentleman should know.

JAMIE OLIVER’S BBQ BEEF SHORT RIBS

Ingredients

2 x 1.5 kg beef short ribs

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1 bunch of fresh dill

2 pickled onions, in vinegar

2 tablespoons Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons low-fat natural yoghurt

2 teaspoons English mustard

1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 medium yellow beetroot, with leaves

6 medium carrots

¼ white cabbage

300 g kale, green and purple if possible

For the BBQ sauce…

180 ml tomato ketchup

150 ml stout

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 heaped teaspoon English mustard

4 teaspoons malt vinegar

4 teaspoons golden syrup

TGJ – 61-3a

Method

Preheat the oven to 100ºC/212ºF/gas ¼. Place the ribs in a snug-fitting roasting tray, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, then rub all over. Cover tightly with a double layer of tin foil, then cook for 7 to 8 hours, or until cooked through and tender.

Transfer the ribs to a baking tray. Skim away the fat from the roasting tray and reserve in an airtight jar (use it for delicious roast potatoes another day). Place the roasting tray over a high heat on the hob and bring the juices to the boil. Simmer for around 2 minutes, then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring it back to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Brush most of the sauce onto the ribs so they’re nicely coated all over, then return the ribs to the oven for 20 to 40 minutes, or until sticky and caramelised.

Meanwhile, place a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the caraway seeds and toast for around 1 minute, or until smelling fantastic. Tip into a large bowl. Finely chop the dill and pickled onions, then add to the bowl with the mayo, yoghurt, mustard, white wine vinegar and a splash of the pickled onion vinegar. Whisk well to combine.

Remove the beetroot leaves and set aside. Scrub and trim the beetroot and carrots, then pass all the vegetables and the beetroot leaves through the fine slicing attachment in a food processor. Add to the dressing, toss and scrunch everything together, then season to taste.

Transfer the ribs to a chopping board, then carve up and serve with the winter slaw, remaining BBQ sauce and creamy mashed potato, if you like.

For more information about Jamie’s meat recipes visit www.jamieoliver.com

HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL’S COLD PORK WITH PLUMBS AND FIVE-SPICE

Ingredients

2-3 good handfuls of salad leaves

3-4 medium plums or greengages, stoned and cut into 6-8 slices each

About 150g cold cooked pork, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces

a few sprigs of coriander (optional)

For the dressing…

1 tsp tamari

1 tsp honey

a small scrap of garlic (about ¼ of a clove), grated or crushed

2 tsp rice wine vinegar, cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

2 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil

a pinch of ground Chinese five-spice

TGJ – 61-4a

Method

For the dressing, shake all the ingredients together vigorously in a jar to combine.

If you are taking this in a lunch box and you are able to transport the dressing separately in its jar and add it at the last minute, so much the better – just put the leaves, plums and pork in your plastic lunch box and dress before eating.

Alternatively, arrange the leaves on serving plates, scatter over the plums and pork, then trickle over the dressing. Top, if you like, with a few coriander leaves and serve.

Variations…

Ricey version – This is a great light lunch, but if you want to make it more substantial, add a handful of cooked nutty brown rice.

Meat swaps – This combo works well with other leftover meats, particularly duck or chicken. Chunks of cold sausage (wheat-free) go down a treat too.

From Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new book; River Cottage Light & Easy £9.99 from Amazon.co.uk

RICHARD CORRIGAN’S GRILLED RIB-EYE WITH WATERCRESS PURÉE

Ingredients

4 240g rib-eye steaks

400g of watercress, picked and washed

400g of baby spinach leaves, washed

2 large onions, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

400ml of cream

salt

pepper

olive oil

For the onion rings…

110g of rice flour

5 black peppercorns

1 1/2 bird’s eye chillies, stalks removed

10g of Sea salt

2 large onions, cut into 1/2cm rings

vegetable oil for deep frying

TGJ – 61-5a

Method

For the watercress purée, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Submerge the watercress and spinach into the boiling water for 1 minute. Strain and place into ice water for 10 minutes. Pour enough olive oil to coat the base of a large pan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt and pepper and sweat until soft.

Add the minced garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a simmer and reduce down by half. Add the blanched watercress and spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes. Place into a blender and process until smooth. Pass through a fine strainer, season to taste with salt and pour into a suitable container. Store in the fridge until needed.

For the onion rings you will need to start with the black pepper flour. Place half of the rice flour into a blender with the chillies and black pepper, blend until smooth. Add the remaining rice flour and salt and pulse until combined. Place the black pepper flour into a bowl and whisk in enough cold water to form a thick batter. Set aside until required.

For the rib-eye, generously season the steak with salt and pepper. Heat a pan, grill or barbecue until extremely hot. Preheat the oven to 200?C/gas mark 6. First place the steak onto the cooking surface – if using a pan or grill, add a splash of vegetable oil before cooking. Once the meat has reached a dark brown colour, turn over and sear on the other side until a similar colour is achieved. Remove the pan from the heat. For a rare steak, you do not need to cook the steak further in the oven. For a medium-rare steak, place in the preheated oven for 1 minute (increase this number by 2 minute increments for medium, medium-well and well-done finishes). Remove the steaks from the oven and set aside to rest for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently stir the batter to ensure an even consistency. Drag the onions through the batter and deep fry at 180?C until golden. Remove from the fryer and place on absorbent kitchen towel. To serve, divide the watercress purée across 4 warm plates, place the steak on top followed by a few of the onion rings.

For more recipes by Richard Corrigan and other Great British Chefs visit greatbritishchefs.com

JAMIE OLIVER’S VEAL PARMIGIANA

Ingredients

a few sprigs of fresh basil

olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

3 anchovies

1 fresh red chilli

2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

200 g fresh breadcrumbs

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked

a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 lemon

150 g plain flour

2 large free-range eggs, beaten

4 x 200 g veal or pork leg escalopes, flattened to 2cm

1 x 125 g ball of buffalo mozzarella cheese

TGJ – 61-6a

Method

Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Pick the leaves off the sprigs of basil and put them into a small bowl of water to keep them fresh. Finely chop the tender stalks. Put a pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil, the chopped basil stalks, garlic and anchovies and cook for a few minutes. Prick the chilli a few times and add it to the pan. Allow everything to sizzle for a minute or so, then pour in the tinned tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare your escalopes. Mix the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the thyme leaves and Parmesan. Finely grate your lemon zest into the breadcrumbs, mix again, then lay out three plates in front of you. Put the flour on one and season it with salt and pepper, pour the eggs on to the next plate and put the herby breadcrumbs on the third. Dip the escalopes, one at a time, into the flour until well coated. Shake off any excess, then dip into the egg. Let the extra egg drip off, then lay the escalope in the breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle a handful of crumbs over the top and press them down. Make a real point of getting breadcrumbs on to every part of the escalope.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a good splash of olive oil. Let it heat up a bit, then add your escalopes. If your pan isn’t big enough, you may have to cook them in batches, adding a little extra oil if needed. Cook for a few minutes on each side until lightly golden, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Get yourself a snug-fitting, appropriately sized baking dish (approx. 30 x 20cm) and spread the tomato sauce in the dish. Lay your escalopes on top, side by side. Tear the buffalo mozzarella into pieces and dot these over the dish with a few basil leaves.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden, bubbling and deliciously cooked. Sprinkle the rest of the basil leaves over. Perfect with a crunchy zingy salad, but in America they’d also serve it with things like spaghetti, rice or mashed potatoes, polenta or crusty bread.

From Jamie Oliver’s book; Jamie’s America £20.60 from Amazon.co.uk

DELIA SMITH’S ROAST LAMB WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY AND ROSEMARY AND ONION SAUCE

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb, weighing about 4 lb (1.8 kg)

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced lengthways into about 24 slivers

2 large stems fresh rosemary, cut into about 24 small sprigs

1 small onion, peeled

salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the onion and rosemary sauce

1 rounded tablespoon rosemary leaves

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 oz (25 g) butter

1 oz (25 g) plain flour

6 fl oz (175 ml) milk

6 fl oz (175 ml) vegetable stock

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

salt and freshly milled black pepper

TGJ – 61-7a

Method

Begin by making about 24 small, deep cuts in the skin of the lamb using a small, sharp knife. Then push a sliver of garlic, followed by a small sprig of rosemary, into each cut, and season the meat generously with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Next, cut the onion in half and place it in the bottom of the roasting tin, then transfer the lamb to the tin to sit on top of the onion halves.

Cover the tin loosely with foil, then cook in the oven on a high shelf for 1½ hours. After this, take the foil off and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven, cover loosely with foil again and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Rosemary and Onion Sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and cook the onions over a very gentle heat for about 5 minutes – it’s important not to let them colour, so keep an eye on them.

While that’s happening, bruise the rosemary leaves with a pestle and mortar to release their oil, then chop them very, very finely and add them to the onion. Then continue to cook as gently as possible for a further 15 minutes, again, without letting the onions colour too much.

Next, using a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the onions and their buttery juices till smooth, then gradually add the milk, a little at a time, still stirring, followed by the stock, bit by bit, whilst vigorously whisking with a balloon whisk.

Now taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper and let it barely simmer on the lowest possible heat for 5 minutes. Next, remove it from the heat, then liquidise or process half of it, then return it to the saucepan to join the other half. Then re-heat gently, add the crème fraîche and pour it into a warmed serving jug. This recipe makes about 1 pint (570 ml) sauce.

For more information about Delia’s meat recipes visit deliaonline.com

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