Sophie Conran’s Soups and Stews. Sophie Conran
the lentils into a colander and rinse lightly under cold water. Pour the remaining oil into a pan then add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic. Fry gently for ten minutes or so, stirring frequently, then add the lentils and the bay leaf and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook, a lid upon the pot, for a few hours until very tender.
Once the pots are simmering, make the green sauce. Wash the leaves very well, leave them to dry, then place in a bowl with the anchovies, capers and garlic. Pour in the oil and the vinegar stirring together very well.
Remove the beef to a splendid dish. Add some water to the pot, up the heat and stir well lifting up any scraps adhering to the bottom of the pot. Tip the warm lentils into this, then add the green sauce. Pour this over the beef and take triumphantly to the table where folks can help themselves.
Bollito misto, as its name suggests, is mixed boiled meat. It is the Italian equivalent of boiled beef and carrots, totally delicious and almost as easy to make as a boiled egg. The list of meat is only a guide—add or omit meats as you like.
TO SERVE EIGHT TO TEN
1 small veal tongue about 1kg/21/4lb, trimmed of all bones (I like to tie mine with string in a roll)
1 ham hock about 1kg/21/4lb
2 onions peeled
4 carrots peeled
1/2 celeriac peeled and cubed
1 small chicken
1 bay leaf
1 Cotechino (pork boiling sausage)
Fill a very large pot three-quarters full with water and bring to the boil. Drop in the tongue and ham and simmer for 11/2 hours.
Plop the veg, chicken and bay leaf into the pot and continue simmering for another 30 minutes. Take the tongue out and leave to cool, then peel the skin off the tongue and chuck the skin away. Cook the Cotechino as directed on the package. Return the tongue to the pot and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
Serve all the meat cut in slices, with plain boiled potatoes tossed in butter and parsley, some lentils and a few sauces. My favourite is salsa verde, but a home-made mayonnaise with a little grated fresh horseradish is delicious, as is mostarda di cremona and Dijon mustard. Serve with or without the broth and boiled vegetables.
CRAZY HOMIES EXTERMINATOR CHILLI
Tom Conran’s
Tom, my exceptional brother, owns a fantastic Mexican restaurant in London, Crazy Homies.We recommend drinking margueritas with this chilli for a real party.
TO SERVE TEN TO TWELVE
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2kg/41/4lb minced beef
2 large onions peeled and finely chopped
3 fresh jalapeno chillies finely chopped
3 tbsp crushed cumin seeds
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp paprika
375ml/13fl oz beer
500ml/18fl oz beef stock (see page 184)
875g/1lb 15oz crushed tomatoes
1kg/21/4lb cooked kidney or pinto beans sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the garnish
soured cream
grated sharp Cheddar cheese
chopped spring onions
salsa
Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and brown the beef all over. Set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and sweat the onions gradually until they start to colour brown (this stage is very important and gives the dish a lot of flavour).
Add the chopped chillies and sauté a minute longer, then add the herbs and spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the beef, beer, beef stock and tomatoes, bring up to the boil and then simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans and cook for another 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
This probably tastes better the next day when the flavours have had a chance to meld. Garnish with the sour cream, cheese, onions and salsa.
TIP You can play with the spicing to your own tastes—add allspice, fennel seed, other chillies, orange zest, and so on. Go to www.lucky7london.co.uk for an update on Tom’s restaurants.
This is a traditional Belgian dish dating back to the 14th century. I am afraid I have doctored it slightly by using a light beer instead of dark, but the result is fabulous.
TO SERVE TWO
2 tbsp olive oil
700g/41/2lb chuck steak cut into two large steaks
1 tbsp butter
4 red onions peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
400ml/14fl oz light Belgian beer
1 bouquet garni
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid on a very high heat until smoking. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and fry without turning for about 3 minutes on each side or until they have a brown crust. Remove the steaks to a plate and reduce the heat. Drop the butter into the pan and stir in the onions. Cook, stirring every now and then, for about 10 minutes until they are soft. Pour in the vinegar and sugar and give the onions a good stir. Continue stirring every now and again for another 10 minutes or until the onions have become caramelised and slightly gooey.
Return the steaks to the pan, pour the beer over them and drop in the bouquet garni. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid and pop in the oven for 3 hours, checking every hour or so to make sure it is not drying out. Add some water if it is, to keep it moist, and turn over the pieces of meat. Remove the pan from the oven and put it back on the hob. Transfer the meat to a plate and discard the herbs. Turn up the heat and reduce the sauce to about half the quantity.
Meanwhile, mix the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and cream in a bowl. Once the sauce has reduced, slice the meat into 2cm/3/4 inch strips and return to the pan with any juice. Stir in the cream and mustard mixture and heat through. Serve with mashed potatoes (see page 187), and carrots tossed in butter and chopped tarragon.