Guinness Steak Pie

Jamie Oliver’s
Steak, Guinness and Cheese Pie with a Puff Pastry Lid

If you’re searching for a St. Patrick’s Day supper recipe (or a hearty meal to warm your spirits), this is a delicious alternative to the traditional pot of corned beef and cabbage, especially if you’re a “meat pie” lover like me.

The recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s terrific cookbook “Jamie at Home”, which coincides with his show on Food Network. The episode with this recipe is called “Pastry”, in case you haven’t seen it yet.

This dish is now a St. Paddy’s Day tradition in our house, and it’s always a hit with friends and family.

My changes to the original recipe are noted in orange.

Ingredients

Olive oil
3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
1 oz butter plus extra for greasing
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery trimmed and chopped
4 field mushrooms peeled and sliced
2 1/2 pound brisket or stewing beef cut in to 1 inch cubes
a few sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can of Guinness beer
(Instead I used 2 bottles ofGuinness Draught, 11.2 oz size bottles)
2 heaped tablespoons of flour
7 oz freshly grated cheddar cheese
2 sheets of ready made good quality all butter puff pastry
1 large organic free range egg, beaten
(I also added 1 chopped Jalapeno for heat)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large ovenproof pan, heat a glug of olive oil on a low heat. Add the onions and fry them gently for about ten minutes – try not to color them too much.

Turn up the heat add the garlic, butter, carrots, celery, jalapenos and scatter in the mushrooms. Mix everything together before stirring in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of slat and a level teaspoon of pepper.

Fry fast for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in one bottle of Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and place in the preheated oven for about one (1) and 1/2 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and give the stew a stir. Put it back in to the oven and continue to cook it for another hour or until the meat is very tender and the stew is rich dark and thick. (I added another half bottle of Guinness at this point).

Jamie notes: “A perfect pie filling needs to be robust, so if it’s still quite liquidy, place the pan on the hob (stove top) and reduce until the sauce thickens.”

Remove it from the heat and stir in half of the cheese, then season carefully and leave it to cool slightly.

Cut about a third of the pastry from the block. Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll both pieces of pastry out evenly with a floured rolling pin to the thickness of a pound coin.

Butter an appropriately sized pie dish then line with the larger sheet, leaving the edges dangling over the sides.

Tip (pour or spoon) the stew into your pastry lined dish and even it out before sprinkling the remaining cheese over it.

Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg.

Cut the other rolled sheet of pastry to fit the top of the pie dish and criss-cross lightly with a sharp knife. Place it over the top of the pie and fold the overhanging pastry on to the pastry lid to make it look nice and rustic.

Brush the top with beaten egg then bake the pie directly on the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes until the pastry is cooked puffed and golden.

Serves 4 to 6

Jamie Oliver’s Official Website

“Jamie at Home” on Food Network

If you have the U.K. version of the book “Jamie Oliver at Home”, it’s on page 342.

I use this Gram Conversion Calculator

Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

Originally posted Mar 13, 2009

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Greek Lemon Chicken

Allergy season in the San Fernando Valley is, by far, my least favorite time of year. It’s now been a month since my spring-time symptoms kicked in, and I’ve been feeling pretty lousy the entire time: Itchy and watery eyes, non-stop sneezing, postnasal drip (with congestion, which I don’t understand), loss of smell, and the worst part, for me, are those dreadful hours when I loose my sense of taste.

I’m currently taking two different prescription medications that definitely help ease the symptoms, but living with three dogs (who sleep in the bed) only adds to the problem. Peter and I will never get rid of our dogs (aka our “kids”), and honestly, most of the time I just feel really grateful that seasonal allergies are my only health issues.

But last week, on top of dealing with my sensitive sinus problems, I came down with a nasty, head cold. I didn’t even know it was a cold for the first few days because I hadn’t had a good night sleep in weeks, and already felt drained and depressed. I tried to shake the blues by drinking extra cups of green tea, reading my current favorite book on the sunny porch out front, and also by taking extra walks with the pups.

When I woke up Thursday morning still feeling gloomy, I suddenly remembered that one thing that was missing from my days. Talking aloud to myself (with my dogs tucked in snugly beside me), I sat up in bed and said, “cook, stupid”.

Because I was suffering from both allergies and a head cold, I hadn’t cooked a proper meal all week. Hot tea and cereal for breakfast, cold meds for lunch and “frozen entrées” for dinner. No wonder I felt like crap. Physically, I wasn’t getting any real nutrition, and I’d forgotten to do the one thing every day that makes my spirits soar.

I then decided to make one of my very favorite, super EASY one pan meals. Greek Lemon Chicken with Roasted Garlic and Potatoes. I first had it when I visited friends in the Greek Islands over twenty years ago, and it’s always a comforting plate of food. And as you can imagine, I felt amazingly better after just one bite.

Greek Lemon Chicken w/ Roasted Garlic and Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 1/2 to 4 pounds of chicken pieces (I prefer thighs and legs) with skin.

3 medium lemons (juiced, but save lemon halves)

3 pounds of baby potatoes (your favorite)

1 tablespoon of oregano

2 to 3 teaspoons of salt (to your liking)

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

2 medium heads of garlic

1/2 cup of olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Clean the chicken and potatoes, dry then place in large baking pan.

Cut tops of garlic (be careful) to expose cloves, and set face up in pan.

Next add olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, then rub over everything.

Make sure there’s a nice coating of oil on the bottom of pan, so the chicken doesn’t stick.

Add oregano, salt and pepper. Coat everything in the pan.

Add the last two lemon halves in pan and let bake with the other ingredients.

Now, turn chicken pieces so the skin in facing down on the pan bottom.

Cook for about 90 minutes total:
After 30 minutes, carefully remove hot pan from oven and gently turn over the chicken pieces so the skin is facing UP. This way you’ll get a nice, crispy and flavorful skin.

At the same time, turn over the potatoes and then place back in oven for 60 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

To serve: After the garlic heads have cooled, you can pop out each roasted clove with a knife and serve the sweet, mushy cloves on top of the chicken. Or, do what I did and serve the entire half of the clove itself. They’re delicious smashed into the potatoes or added to warm, crusty bread as well. The extra lemon halves (now soft and baked) can be eaten too. Enjoy.

Note: The dish is terrific on it’s own, but it’s even better with a Horiatiki Salata (classic Greek country salad). I didn’t think to get the Greek salad ingredients at the market that day, so I tossed together a side dish with things I had at home: clementines, fresh green beans, and roasted beets.

Mentioned Above:

Horiatiki Salata: Recipe for Greek Country Salad

My Pups

In Greece

Cuties California Clementines

Current favorite book: “A Homemade Life” by Molly Wizenberg

“Cook, Stupid.” written by Jo Stougaard ©MyLastBite.com All Rights Reserved. No usage allowed including copying or sharing without written permission.

Gjelina

I was in no rush to dine at Gjelina (pronounced “jelina”) when it opened last summer, adding it to my lengthy list of “places to eat”.

To be honest, I just didn’t care about ANOTHER pizzeria opening, so I pretty much just forgot about it. Then I read Patrick Kuh’s review in Los Angeles Magazine (Feb 2009 issue).

Kuh wrote:
The cooking of Travis Lett is the main draw… only 30 years old, he has developed a remarkably sustained culinary style…

That sparked my interest a little because I love supporting our local up-and-coming chefs.

Then I read: 
Back when he was starting out, Lett had an epiphany while eating a meal at Mario Batali’s breakout restaurant, Babbo, shortly after it opened in Greenwich Village. “It wasn’t one thing they did. It was how they did everything,” he recalls of the food’s exacting forthrightness.

One of my best dining experiences ever was at BABBO restaurant in New York. Peter and I had dinner there in October 2005, and we still talk about the amazing Bucatini all’Amatriciana. To this day, we’ve never tasted a better pasta dish and Mario Batali is a culinary king in our home. I’ve learned so much about Italian cooking AND culture from his old series, “Molto Mario” and it’s a shame he doesn’t “teach” on television anymore. If Gjelina’s chef was pulling inspiration from BABBO and Batali, then it could only mean good things for the restaurant.

Patrick Kuh ended his review with the following:
Certain restaurant openings are cautious, some careless, and some overproduced. Then there are those that sing. Gjelina is one of them. It has the snap of originality, a little strut. It knows it’s good. It captures a neighborhood.

At this point I opened my “places to eat” list and moved Gjelina up near the top. When our friends Kevin and Tamara (both oenophiles) wanted to meet for brunch in Venice recently, of course it had to be at Gjelina. They brought along a gorgeous bottle of Williams Selyem 2005 Chardonnay, which was a refreshing and crisp companion to our delicious brunch of pizzas, salads and sides.

Niman Ranch Bacon $5. Is there any better way to start off a brunch?

Heirloom Spinach Salad with Tomato, Olive, Feta, Pinenuts and Croutons $9. This was devoured within minutes of hitting our table. The large crouton pieces were a terrific crunch mixed with the super fresh vegetables. 

Guanciale Pizza with Crushed Olive, Fresno Chili, Buffalo Mozzarella & Rosemary, $15
I LOVE guanciale, it’s my favorite type of bacon (the pig’s jowel) which is extra fatty. Notice how THIN the pizza crust is in the upper left of the photo. All the flavors were baked into (and almost through) the crust. I love thin-crust pizza so this wafer-thin heater was my kind of pie (or maybe I should say “cracker bread”!).

Two more sides we enjoyed:
Chickpea Stew with Greens, Cous Cous, Spiced Yogurt and Harissa, $12. It was more like a belly-warming soup than a stew and I found myself craving it when I had a cold last week.
Crispy Fingerling Potatoes with Truffle Oil, Herbs and Parmesan, $5. Perfectly crispy on the outside with just a hint of truffle oil.

Gruyere, Arugula Pizza topped with Caramelized Onion, Fromage Blanc Pizza and Sunny Eggs, $18. This pizza came after the Guanicale, and we all decided that this one was our favorite. Again, the toppings were almost baked through the thin crust and the runny eggs on top added a creamy-like richness.

In the relaxing, sunny back patio area, the view from my seat.

Butterscotch pot de creme. Very similar to Mozza’s Butterscotch Budino, (except you don’t get the rosemary cookie here). Gjelina’s version was rich enough that we were happy sharing one together.

Blackberry and Cornmeal Crisp. I only had one bite (too full!) but my husband said he loved the tartness and crunch.

I loved the decor, especially the chocolate brown wall, with what looked like “tooled leather” engravings. The light fixtures were also fun and funky throughout.

From top left: Lighting above bar, Back patio, Vintage glass, Wine bottle chandelier.

I can’t wait to go back!

The L.A. Times writes: Though they’re only a small part of the menu, the pizzas at Gjelina in Venice keep getting better. Six months in, chef-owner Travis Lett has his pizza mojo down. His pies have a graceful aesthetic, beautiful to look at, even better to eat, and farmers market all the way. Like the seductive vegetable dishes here from the wood-burning oven, the eight pizzas on offer shift with the seasons. A pie blanketed in Fontina cheese and bitter greens accented with bacon lardons or one that melds Taleggio cheese with dusky wild mushrooms and pea shoots may give way to a pizza topped with sweet porky guanciale, crushed olives and bufala mozzarella. The crust is very thin, very crisp. Pizza is such a popular item, though, you may have to wait for yours: The oven is only big enough to cook four pies at a time.  Full Article Here

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 450-1429
(no website as of this writing) 
Dining Date: 3/7/09 

Mentioned Above:

LA Magazine Gjelina Review by Patrick Kuh

BABBO

Mario Batali

Molto Mario

Williams Selyem Chardonnay

Niman Ranch

Guinness Steak Pie

Jamie Oliver’s
Steak, Guinness and Cheese Pie with a Puff Pastry Lid

If you’re searching for a St. Patrick’s Day supper recipe (or a hearty meal to warm your spirits), this is a delicious alternative to the traditional pot of corned beef and cabbage, especially if you’re a “meat pie” lover like me.

The recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s terrific cookbook “Jamie at Home”, which coincides with his show on Food Network. The episode with this recipe is called “Pastry”, in case you haven’t seen it yet.

This dish is now a St. Paddy’s Day tradition in our house, and it’s always a hit with friends and family.

My changes to the original recipe are noted in orange.

Ingredients

Olive oil
3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
1 oz butter plus extra for greasing
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 sticks of celery trimmed and chopped
4 field mushrooms peeled and sliced
2 1/2 pound brisket or stewing beef cut in to 1 inch cubes
a few sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can of Guinness beer
(Instead I used 2 bottles of Guinness Draught, 11.2 oz size bottles)
2 heaped tablespoons of flour
7 oz freshly grated cheddar cheese
2 sheets of ready made good quality all butter puff pastry
1 large organic free range egg, beaten
(I also added 1 chopped Jalapeno for heat)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large ovenproof pan, heat a glug of olive oil on a low heat. Add the onions and fry them gently for about ten minutes – try not to color them too much.

Turn up the heat add the garlic, butter, carrots, celery, jalapenos and scatter in the mushrooms. Mix everything together before stirring in the beef, rosemary, a pinch of slat and a level teaspoon of pepper.

Fry fast for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in one bottle of Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and place in the preheated oven for about one (1) and 1/2 hours.

Remove the pan from the oven and give the stew a stir. Put it back in to the oven and continue to cook it for another hour or until the meat is very tender and the stew is rich dark and thick. (I added another half bottle of Guinness at this point).

Jamie notes: “A perfect pie filling needs to be robust, so if it’s still quite liquidy, place the pan on the hob (stove top) and reduce until the sauce thickens.”

Remove it from the heat and stir in half of the cheese, then season carefully and leave it to cool slightly.

Cut about a third of the pastry from the block. Dust a clean work surface with flour and roll both pieces of pastry out evenly with a floured rolling pin to the thickness of a pound coin.

Butter an appropriately sized pie dish then line with the larger sheet, leaving the edges dangling over the sides.

Tip (pour or spoon) the stew into your pastry lined dish and even it out before sprinkling the remaining cheese over it.

Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg.

Cut the other rolled sheet of pastry to fit the top of the pie dish and criss-cross lightly with a sharp knife. Place it over the top of the pie and fold the overhanging pastry on to the pastry lid to make it look nice and rustic.

Brush the top with beaten egg then bake the pie directly on the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes until the pastry is cooked puffed and golden.

Serves 4 to 6

Jamie Oliver’s Official Website

“Jamie at Home” on Food Network

If you have the U.K. version of the book “Jamie Oliver at Home”, it’s on page 342.

I use this Gram Conversion Calculator

Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

Firefly

Recently, my husband and I had dinner with friends at Firefly restaurant, which is just up the street from our house. We used to go at least once a week, but then just sort of forgot about it for awhile. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful, romantic spot if you’re looking for a Valentine’s evening out. Ask for one of the tables in the alcoves, so you get a little privacy.

I used to always order their KILLER off-the-menu burger that’s topped with bacon and gorgonzola cheese. It comes with a side of the crispiest, thin-cut fries (just the way I like them). We would sometimes just sit at the bar to grab a quick bite after work and people-watch. This time I decided to try something new and and I’m happy to say it was all delicious. We will for sure be spending a lot more time with our old friend Firefly!
 
Heirloom Apple Salad with five year old farmer’s gouda, baby celery, marcona almonds, cider vinaigrette

 

Hamachi Sashimi on Crispy Rice Cakes

 

Grass-Fed “Terrorized” Rib Eye with warm spinach salad, toasted cashew, shallots, bacon, 25 year balsamic 

Firefly

11720 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
818 762-1833 No Website but more info here  

 

Dining Date: 1/18/09

Patina

Each year around the Christmas holidays, my husband Peter and I spend an evening at the L.A. Philharmonic. Instead of giving each other Christmas gifts (since we have everything we need), we share a nice dinner at Patina (which is next to the Disney Hall) and it makes for a special yearly event. This season we had tickets to hear the Count Basie Orchestra, and it was a lively evening filled with jazzy holiday fun.

The show started at 8pm, so we had an early 5:45 reservation at Patina. This was on December 22, which coincidently fell in the middle of their famous truffle dinners. The Black and White Truffle dinner was held a few days before our reservation (on 12/19), and I knew there were upcoming truffle dinners scheduled. I was hoping there were truffles leftover from the event because I’d never tasted a WHITE truffle.

No such luck! We did get to feast on some beautiful black truffles though and I made sure the rolling cheese cart never left our table for too long. It was another wonderful holiday celebration that included our two favorite things in life … food and music.

Black Truffle Risotto

The LOVELY Cheese Cart

Cheeses 

Soumaintrain (on the left) is a really stinky French cheese with a taste that is both sweet and salty. It tasted similar to Epoisses but was actually creamier. It was my favorite cheese of the night. more info

Whisky Cheese tasted like whisky and cheese! I liked it. more info

Toma Bleue was a sharp blue cheese.

Ski Queen (the brown cheese) is soft and sweet. more info

Monte Enebro (far right) is made from goat’s milk and very pungent. Rolled in ash, it was really soft and spreadable. more info


Saint Pierre for Two. Saint Pierre (aka John Dory) baked with a grilled sage, sunchoke-sesame puree, wild arugula, toscane extra virgin olive oil jus.

Patina
141 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 972-3331

http://www.patinagroup.com/patina/

http://www.countbasie.com/

Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash

A super EASY recipe for Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash. If you don’t like things spicy then simply leave out the Cayenne Pepper. I served it with grilled flat iron steak and dipped the steak into the butter bowl… DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

2 teaspoons butter

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Freshly ground pepper

Fleur de sel (or any crunchy sea salt)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cayenne pepper.

Set the two butternut squash halves a large bakin, making sure the flesh side is facing up.

Place 1 teaspoon butter in the middle of each squash. 

Sprinkle brown sugar/cayenne mix over each squash, then rub into the flesh.

Season with black pepper. 

Roast 25 minutes, or just until the flesh is fork-tender.

Top with fleur de sel while still hot. 

Enjoy!

Delicious, Recession Proof SPAM!

AdAge.com recently listed SPAM as #9 (out of 10) in a list of “Recession-Proof Businesses”. Soup is listed as #1 which makes sense because it’s relatively inexpensive, but I was startled to see that SPAM came after Guns (#8) and even after Laxatives (#6).

Seriously? In these tough economic times… Ex-Lax, Glocks and Winchesters are more important than SPAM? I have to say, this sort of made me worry about the state of our fine country.

So to cheer myself up, I broke out a tin of my favorite canned meat (it has to be CLASSIC SPAM… never low-fat or low-sodium) and then fried up a few slices of “spacon”. By slicing the SPAM paper thin, you get crispy mouth-watering pieces of “spacon” that taste like bacon chips!

SPAM doesn’t have to be just a cheap alternative during these tough economic times. In our house we even bring it out for special occasions (like when my niece and nephew stay over), and it will ALWAYS and forever be at the top of my list… in good times or bad.

Recipe for Crispy “Spacon” Chips

Instructions:

1. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice SPAM into paper-thin pieces.

2. Heat up a skillet and cook until each side is nice and brown. The browner they get, the crispier they will be.

3. Drain on paper towels.

4. Cool and Enjoy!

  
Above: Crispy “Spacon” Chips

Below: Thicker cuts of grilled SPAM served in my vintage English toast holder.

AdAge’s Top Ten “Recession-Proof Businesses”

1. SOUP
2. MOUTHGUARDS
3. BANKRUPTCY LAW

4. WALMART

5. THRIFT STORES

6. LAXATIVES

7. CABLE TV

8. GUNS

9. SPAM

10. CHEAP BEER

Read complete AdAge Article

Leftovers – Stuffing Frittata

This is my favorite “Thanksgiving Leftover” recipe and I also use it when it’s not the day after turkey day! An easy-to-do frittata for breakfast or brunch.

Stuffing Frittata

–Ingredients 

Cooking spray
2 cups leftover stuffing 

1 cup of diced leftover turkey
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
8 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground fresh nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 

Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

–Directions

Preheat oven to 400

Coat an ovenproof nonstick skillet with cooking spray.

Place over medium heat (on stovetop).

Mix stuffing and turkey in a bowl, then put mixture in the bottom of pan to warm through.

Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over top.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon of parsley (save the rest for later), red pepper flakes, and nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste… it depends on how much seasoning was used in the stuffing.

Pour egg mixture over stuffing and cheese to cover stuffing. Sprinkle Parmesan over top.

Carefully transfer to preheated oven.

Bake until the eggs are set and the sides have puffed up a little bit and cheese is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Cool before cutting.

Sprinkle with remaining fresh parsley.

Remember: This isn’t just for “Thanksgiving Leftovers”. I’ve made it with good old Stovetop stuffing on a lovely Spring day. It’s fun, easy and super tasty!

Next Wednesday

Submitted by Kindal

 

 

My Aunt Jo comes over every Wednesday to cook for our family. She is a gourmet cook and likes to try new recipes for us. My favorite is her steak, twice bombed potatoes and garlic cake! She makes the most juicy, tender, moist steak in the world. It has the most incredible flavor. On top of that she makes twice bombed potatoes. They are creamy and stuffed with cheese and cream. It is the perfect combination with the savory steak. The juice of the steak blended with the strong but beautiful roasted garlic, and that first bite… so savory and tasty.

The potatoes are so buttery and creamy. The aroma so strong yet so much satisfaction tingles through my nose and tongue. The garlic bread roasting in the oven scents the room with happiness and heavenly aromas of that special bread. It is so thick with different cheeses, roasted and raw garlic that it looks like a cake!

You can almost hear the different cheeses and garlic cloves crackling as it is baking!  When it comes out on the glistening baking sheet, the bread is just waiting for someone to take a heavenly most scrumptious bite.

In the end…our family has eaten every single crumb and morsel on their plate with the most satisfaction and happiness in our tummies.  

Can’t wait for next Wednesday!!

 

(Written by Kindal. Age 12) http://www.ChefMonkeys.com