Limestone Country Beef is now available to buy online from Paganum, this beef is from fantastic slow grown Belted Galloway cattle that have been all grass fed around the stunning hills and fells of Malhamdale here in the Yorkshire Dales.  You really must try some of this fantastic beef, limited availability, when its gone its gone!

More details on the Paganum Farmers Market website here http://www.paganum.co.uk

Malhamdale Belted Galloway, Neil Heseltine

What do you eat for Christmas day lunch?

Quarter Stilton Cheese

Not everyone eats the traditional Christmas turkey on Xmas day, some prefer beef or a goose, what are your traditional family Christmas eating habits?   I read with interest a recent article where it was suggested that Turkey or Beef was eaten for Christmas Day, Lamb for Boxing Day and Pork for New Year.

Traditional Bronze Christmas Turkey

We normally have a fiercely traditional Christmas Turkey Lunch and then a cold Boxing Day feast of turkey, ham, prawns, salmon, salads more sausage meat balls, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, egg mayo, mince pies, Stilton cheese board,  Christmas pudding and Brandy sauce, the full festive buffet experience.

Sausage meat balls

Xmas Leftovers, what do you do? cold meat sandwiches, Bubble & Squeak, boring salad!

Can you Eat Healthily at Christmas? well you should have plenty of opportunity for vegetables & your five a day, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, satsumas, clementines maybe even the odd pomegranate with a pin in front of the fire?

If you have not already ordered your Christmas Fayre please take a look at the Paganum Christmas Poultry range, goose and turkey or maybe a lovely rib of Beef or a nice boned & rolled leg of lamb all available now on the Paganum Website.

Christmas gifts, food and wine hampers and much more also available for Christmas delivery in our Christmas Gift section.

And don’t forget to top up the wine cellar from our selection of quality wines.

The first in a series of recipes from the recent Take 3 Chefs event held at The Victoria Hall, Settle.

Beef Fillet & Wild Mushroom Hotpot, Richard Wright, Craven Arms, Giggleswick

A great recipe from Richard Wright – Head Chef, The Craven Arms, Giggleswick (formerly The Old Station) which will be opening before Christmas!

Fillet of Beef and wild mushroom hotpot with buttered Savoy cabbage

Ingredients:-

• 700g Fillet steak
• 50g Shallots
• 200g Wild mushrooms
• 120g Yorkshire blue cheese
• 500ml Double cream
• 50ml Port
• 500g New potatoes (cooked and sliced)
• Salt and pepper
• 50g Melted butter
• 50g Butter
• 700g Savoy cabbage
• 1tsp Mustard seeds

Method

1. Slice the fillet steak into 12 even sized pieces.
2. Peel and slice the shallot, Wash and slice the wild mushrooms.
3. Shred the Savoy cabbage.
4. In a heavy based frying pan heat a little oil, season the steak and seal on both sides. About 1 minute on either side should be sufficient. Remove from the pan and rest on a plate.
5. In the same pan sweat the shallots until soft, add the wild mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the port and stir over a high heat until it has almost fully reduced.
7. Add the cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season.
8. Place the steak into a shallow casserole pot. Pour over the sauce.
9. Lay the new potatoes out on top of the mixture, pour over the melted butter, season and place into a hot oven for 5-8 minute.
10. Meanwhile. Heat a separate pan with the butter.
11. Crush the mustard seeds just enough to start breaking them up but not into a powder. Add these to the butter and fry for 1 minute.
12. Add the shredded cabbage into the pan and stir well for a further 5 minutes until the cabbage is just cooked but with a little bite, season.
13. Remove the hotpot from the oven and serve with the buttered cabbage.

We have been trying a few different local rape seed oils and now have a favourite – Metcalfes Yorkshire Extra Virgin Coldpressed Rape Seed Oil from Stephen Metcalfe’s Farm near York, a beautiful rich yellow oil with a nutty, earthy taste, fantastic in dressings or for cooking due to the much higher burn point of rape seed oil over olive oil.

Buy ready bottled in kilner style flip top bottles or the eco option is you buy an empty bottle and fill yourself from the bulk 5 litre bottle, which makes it very economical.

Yorkshire Rape Seed Oil in Kilner Bottles

Yorkshire Rapeseed oil is high in Omega 3 & Omega 6, contains half the saturated fat of Olive Oil is high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fats.  This oil is just cold pressed, filtered and bottled on the farm, no heat or chemicals are used.

A few Rape seed oil fact & figures:-

• excellent for dipping, dressings, stir frying, marinating and roasting
• very high burn point makes it ideal for cooking
• high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (89%)
• lowest saturated fat content of any oil
• contains natural vitamin E
• cold pressed to retain full flavour and natural goodness
• rich in Omega 3, 6 & 9
• half the saturated fat of olive oil
• no artificial additives

We tested out the oil on a few local friends & chefs with some great feedback, recipes and suggestions.

It’s great for baking! cakes baked with rapeseed oil – taste good, stay moist, longer shelf life than butter + dairyfree from @katethebake

and from an old work colleague Simon a recipe for beef carpaccio:-

Beef Carpaccio Ingredients
100g/3.5oz beef fillet, very finely sliced
2 tsp Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil
Pinch rock salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh thyme, to garnish
For the herb salad:
Large handful fresh mixed herbs, such as basil, chervil, parsley, coriander (leaves only)
1 tsp Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil
Dash soy sauce

Method for the beef carpaccio, place the beef slices between two sheets of cling film and lay on a work surface. Flatten out the beef slices using a meat mallet or rolling pin until very thin, then place onto a serving plate.
Place the Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, salt and Worcestershire sauce into a bowl and mix well.
Drizzle over the beef slices and garnish with the thyme.

Method for the herb salad, place the herbs into a bowl, drizzle over the Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil mix add soy sauce and stir well.

To serve, place the herbs onto the plate with the beef carpaccio.

Extra virgin rape seed oil is available from Paganum Online Farm Shop in refillable Kilner Bottles in a variety of sizes, 1 Litre, 500ml & 250ml and in bulk 5 Litre Bottles to refill the kilner bottles or your own oil bottle.

Had some thin sliced rump steak (minute steak) left over from yesterdays Cricket barbecue so decided to make a quick Stroganoff for tea.

Beef Rump Minute steak or extra thin sliced rump is a fantastically versatile ingredient and if you keep a few slices in the freezer they are also very handy as they defrost very quickly at room temperature or in the fridge.  Ask your butcher if they can slice some rump or top rump on the slicer for you.

Beef Stroganoff a British institution? but the name suggests otherwise! actually typical of medieval Russian cookery and now popular throughout Europe, Brazil, Portugal and most of the western World.

My quick Strog recipe

Ingredients:-

• 500g/1lb approx thin sliced beef rump steak (sirloin or fillet is even better! but not necessary)
• small tub of sour cream
• 8 or 9 mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 medium or 2 small onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 or 3 tablespoons plain flour
• salt & pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 200ml beef stock (beef stock cube & boiling water)
• teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• serve with long grain rice & maybe a naan bread to tear & share!

Method:-

1. combine the flour, seasoning & paprika in a saucer
2. slice the steak into thin strips and dust or dip with the flour, seasoning and paprika
3. fry the onions & garlic in a little oil ( I used Yorkshire Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rape Seed Oil)
4. then add the floured strips of beef and gently brown
5. add stock, mustard & white wine vinegar & simmer for 10 mins
6. add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 15 mins or pop a lid on it and put in a simmering oven (Aga bottom oven)
7. take off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of mins then stir in the sour cream & serve with boiled rice and bread or maybe a plain naan bread to tear & share

I’d just like to say “the Rabbit Faggots at the Bull @ Broughton are really quite excellent”!

Rabbit Faggots

Following on from my previous post about Nigel Haworth’s latest pub enterprise we have just been for lunch and had excellent Wild Rabbit Faggots with Roast Courgette Purée, Tomato Juices £5.50 as a starter followed by the 100% Chargrilled Minced Hellifield Highland Beef Steak, English Muffin, Real Chips cooked in Dripping, Mustard Mayo, Tomato Relish and Pickles £9.75.

Other dishes tried in our luncheon party included the excellent Loose Birds Free-Range Chicken Coarse Liver Pâté, Golden Raisins, Cumberland Sauce, Toasted Homemade Bread £5.50

a very large plateful of Whitby Scampi in Beer Batter, Fresh Broad Beans and Peas (very green, seasonal, fresh and very delicious), Real Chips in Dripping, Lemon and Black Pepper Mayonnaise £14.50

and Limestone Country Beef Ribeye 8oz served with Real Chips cooked in Dripping, Garrick Farm Flat Mushroom,
Willowdene Watercress and Battered Onion Rings £17.50

The Bull always looks busy at opening times and if possible I would go late rather than early to avoid a wait, saying that the staff are very personable and attentive and it really is no hardship having a quick drink whilst waiting for your table, choose from the excellent local selection of hand pulled Timothy Taylors, Copper Dragon or Hetton Pale Ale along with Peroni on draught, a comprehensive wine list is also available.

More info on the The Bull @ Broughton, Skipton, North Yorkshire website

The Bull at Broughton reopens on Saturday the 20th June 2009 after refurbishment by Ribble Valley Inns and the expert eye of Nigel Haworth (BBC Great British Menu).   The Bull will become the fourth pub in the Ribble Valley fold, the others being Northcote, The Three Fishes at Mitton, The Highwayman near Kirkby Lonsdale and the Clog & Billycock at Pleasington.

“It’s been months in the planning but, at last, Nigel Haworth is set to achieve an ambition of working with Yorkshire’s
amazing farmers, growers and fine food suppliers.”  Nigel has been busy visiting and testing lots of local Yorkshire producers with cheese, veg, meat, beef and lamb all coming from very local suppliers.  Featured local producers include Yellison Farm Cheese, Hellifield Highland Beef, Kilnsey Farm Trout, Bolton Abbey Lamb,  and Limestone Country Beef.

The Bull is on the Broughton Hall Estate just outside Skipton, North Yorkshire.

Lunch review of the Bull @ Broughton, ribeye steak, rabbit faggots, chicken liver pate & Whitby scampi.

The Bull website

Buy some of the local produce served at the Bull to serve at home in your own recipes from Paganum Produce the Yorkshire Dales Online Farmers Market.

Went up to The Queens Arms in Littondale on the request of the eldest son for tea.  He did want to try the George at Hubberholme but on telephone for opening hours established that it was fully booked.  The Queens is a super little pub in one of the Yorkshire Dales hidden dales, lovely ride out over some of the great Dales roads especially if you go via Malham and Arncliffe.

The Food:- Well the gammon was good! but the rest of the meal and the beer was rather disappointing.  Thing’s don’t appear to be quite the same at the Queens Arms, prices were very expensive and the quality of the food disappointing, fish cakes & roast beef dinner poor, vegetables & salad like something out of a 1980’s tv show but with 2010 prices.  At least my gammon was OK!

The Beer:- Litton Ale: Pale brown in colour with a classic malt flavour.  3.8% abv. brewed on the premises, shall we say was having a rather off day! from what I have tasted it’s better in a bottle!

For comparison & for purposes of research you understand I felt compelled to try a “Slug Burger” at the Slug & Lettuce by the river in Richmond.

A moist organic burger, nicely presented with the onion ring perched on the mushroom stalk, tasty bbq sauce and a whole basket of chips.

From the Menu “SLUG ULTIMATE BEEF BURGER, With mushroom, Cheddar, bacon, beer-battered onion rings and a BBQ sauce.  All of our beef burgers are made with 100% British organic beef and served with seasonal salad leaves, gherkin, tomato, red onion and fries. Our beef burgers are available in two sizes — single £10.45 or double £12.45.”  Pic below shows the single.

Slug Ultimate Burger

Fiercely traditonal and very tasty, Beef Brisket and Carrots is an old favourite and an old school “Frugal Food”.  Simply braise or roast in a casserole for melt in your mouth rich beef flavours.

I used the Aga casserole with beer & root veg.  Easily feeds four (4) with meat leftover for tomorrow cold.

Ingredients:-

• 2kg Beef Brisket joint, your butcher will string it to keep it all together during cooking
• can of bitter/ale
• root vegetables, carrot, parsnip, swede, turnip, a selection of whatever you have
• bulb of garlic split into whole cloves
• water

Method:-

1. place brisket joint into your casserole
2. pour over a full can of beer, bitter or ale
3. roughly chop carrots and any other root veg and throw into the pot
4. roughly chop 2 onions into quarters will be fine
5. split a bulb of garlic and throw the cloves in
6. add a little more water, salt & pepper to taste
7. put the lid on the casserole and slow roast for 2 to 4 hours, I put in the bottom of the Aga for approx 4 hours
8. carefully remove the meat and let rest
9. carefully remove the veg and keep warm to serve with the meat
10. thicken the remaining beef stock for gravy

Dish up and enjoy, should be more than enough for four hungry mouth’s and you can keep the leftover meat for a cold beef brisket sandwich or salad tomorrow… I remember Grandma serving cold brisket with a Yorkshire Salad aka sweet & sour salad, Lettuce, onion & tomato in vinegar, must try that again as well.