An idiots guide to an Idiot: Lockdown dinner

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Lockdown dinner: Any recipe that starts 'pour in a bottle of red wine' is OK by me, and this is what I've been mostly doing this evening. Though ...

Lockdown dinner

Any recipe that starts 'pour in a bottle of red wine' is OK by me, and this is what I've been mostly doing this evening. Though to be honest I wasn't sure whether the recipe meant a bottle in the meal or the cook......so I did both! You see the Memsahib has had a spiffing idea! An online dinner! You must understand this is just prep for next Saturday, Ive cooked the grub tonight to freeze until next week, anyway, the gig is we decide between us recipes for a starter, main and pud, all partisipants cook the same meal, we connect via Skype or whatever and have an evening together apart! Simples! The Mater plumped for the main so I've cooked Beef Bourguignon and a Mushroom version also, we are doing this with Numbers One and Three sons and their beautiful Girlfriends, I think Gary and Ellie are doing the pud which leaves Oliver and Laura the starter. Another part of the gig is you have to dress up.....not as Mickey Mouse or something daft, just dress up as if you were going out. Gary & Ellie will also suggest a wine to go with the meal. Quite honestly I can't wait! It's just another way to connect with loved ones and I'm all for that! Stay tuned for a blog on the actual night! For those interested here's the recipe I kind of followed for the Beef version (from BBC Food) Ingredients 1.6kg/3lb 8oz good-quality braising steak (chuck steak) 4–5 tbsp sunflower oil 200g/7oz smoked bacon lardons or smoked streaky bacon, cut into 2cm/¾in pieces 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 75cl bottle red wine 2 tbsp tomato purée 1 beef stock cube 2 large bay leaves 3 bushy sprigs fresh thyme 25g/1oz butter 450g/1lb pearl onions, or 24 baby onions 300g/10½oz chestnut mushrooms, wiped and halved or quartered if large 2 heaped tbsp cornflour 2 tbsp cold water flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper chopped fresh parsley, to garnish How-to-videos Method Cut the braising steak into chunky pieces, each around 4–5cm/1½–2in. Trim off any really hard fat or sinew. Season the beef really well with salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the beef in three batches over a medium–high heat until nicely browned on all sides, turning every now and then and adding more oil if necessary. As soon as the beef is browned, transfer to a large flameproof casserole. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Pour a little more oil into the pan in which the beef was browned and fry the bacon for 2–3 minutes, or until the fat crisps and browns. Scatter the bacon over the meat. Add a touch more oil to the frying pan and fry the chopped onion over a low heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir the garlic into the pan and cook for 1 minute more. Add the onion and garlic to the pan with the meat and pour over the wine. Stir in the tomato purée and 150ml/5fl oz water. Crumble over the stock cube, add the herbs and bring to a simmer. Stir well, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ –1¾ hours, or until the beef is almost completely tender. While the beef is cooking, peel the button onions. Put the onions in a heatproof bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave to stand for five minutes and then drain. When the onions are cool enough to handle, trim off the root close to the end so they don’t fall apart and peel off the skin. A few minutes before the beef is ready, melt half of the butter in a large non-stick frying pan with a touch of oil and fry the onions over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides. Tip into a bowl. Add the remaining butter and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes over a fairly high heat until golden brown, turning often. Mix the cornflour with the water in a small bowl until smooth. Remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the cornflour mixture, followed by the onions and mushrooms. Return to the oven and cook for 45 minutes more, or until the beef is meltingly tender and the sauce is thick. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon – if it remains fairly thin, simply add a little more cornflour, blended with a little cold water and simmer for a couple of minutes on the hob. And here's the Mushroom version:(from Tesco Real Food) ngredients 30ml (2tbsp) olive oil 15g butter 125g (4oz) shallots or pearl onions, halved 1 carrot, thickly sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1tsp tomato purée 2tsp plain four 125ml (4fl oz) fruity red wine 150ml (5fl oz) vegetarian stock 2 sprigs thyme 625g mixture of mushrooms Method Heat 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil and butter in a heavy-based pan. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and cook for 5 minutes more until soft. Stir in the garlic, tomato purée and flour and cook for 1 minute until the vegetables are well coated. Pour over the wine, stirring well to ensure the sauce is smooth. Leave to simmer for a couple of minutes until the wine has reduced by half. Add the stock and sprig of thyme and cook for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 15ml (1 tbsp) oil in a frying pan. Cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes, add to the pan, along with any juices and simmer for 5 minutes. Scatter over some thyme leaves and serve. Bon appetit!

Bugger!

 Things seemed to be getting easier and then they weren't and now....lockdown take 3. Bugger!  It has taken its toll on all of us, gigs being kyboshed resonated with me of course. Dates bounced from early 2020 to late 2020 are now well into 2021 and doubtful I reckon. However the best of us do feel sad sometimes and my sadness was the New Forest Folk Festival being scrubbed.  Not just the music but not being able to meet our dear friends and the laughter and happiness that it brings and of course the whole experience.

Not meeting up with our fantastic family has been the worst without a shadow of a doubt. Any excuse for a gettogether normally. We have met when we were allowed but it hasn't been quite the same. Then the crowning glory of Christmas being buggered up, though we did have a lovely day just the four of us.....it should have been 13 of us though! We've actually decided to postpone Christmas so we had December 25th instead. So all the secret Santa presies  are unopened until we can meet, when ever that is!

New years Eve was interesting. Neither of us felt very NYE-ish, we watched back to back episodes of 'Casualty,' hardly a bundle of laughs! In bed by 11.30pm and I only realised it was New Year when I put my book down at 12.10am! I should have known by the fireworks of course!  

Hopefully the vaccination will enable us to get back to something like normality, the media of course changing from we're all going to die to now we're all saved!    I don't watch the news anymore, its just too depressing, I pick up the headlines online, that'll do me. As for FaceBook, which I love, I've very nearly come off it for all the political and otherwise crap that keeps on appearing on it.                            I think something that has made the whole thing more real if you like is the fact that up until Christmas none of us knew anyone who had Covid, that's 12 of us in our extended family....now we do!  All getting or have already got better ( most quite young as well) but that's not the point. So it goes.       Gary & Ellies little dog (Ellies really to be fair) Angus is a dear little chap. Far too cute for his own good! Ida was abit nonplussed but is getting used to him, they even played on our last socially distanced walk. 

I must try and get back into blogging, its been a while since I did anything, there hasnt been much to write about I guess. Anyway, keep safe!