Recipes for November

Two mouth watering recipes for you to try.

Braised Steak in Marsala with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1kg Braising Steak

2 Medium size onions cut into wedges

2 Wine glasses of Pelligrino Marsala

1 Tablespoon plain flour

1 Clove of garlic, crushed

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Bay leaf

2 Tablespoons fresh Thyme, finely cut

40 grams butter

50 grams Field Mushrooms or dried Ceps soaked in water

Method:

Cut the beef into thin strips. Add a little olive oil to a saucepan, heat and saute' the onions until lightly browned. Remove to a plate. Add more oil, brown the beef on a high heat and remove. Melt 10 grams of butter in the pan, stir in the flour, add the Marsala and a little water. Constantly stir and bring to simmer. Add the onions, garlic, beef, mushrooms, bay leaf and Thyme. Cook on a low heat for 90 minutes checking the contents and adding more liquid if needed.

Honey-Poached Pears with Gorgonzola

Ingredients:

3 round tablespoons good quality runny Honey

250ml (9 fl oz) White Wine

Zest and juice of 1 Lemon

1 Vanilla Pod

6 small Pears

100g (4oz) Creamy Gorgonzola

142ml Double Cream

Method:

Put the honey, wine, lemon zest and juice, vanilla pod and 250ml (9fl oz) water into a pan and simmer over a gentle heat

Meanwhile peel, halve and core the pears, leaving the stalks intact. The easiest and neatest way to remove the core of a pear is to use a melon baller. As you prepare the pears, pop them into the pan to prevent any discolouring.

Cover the pan with a lid and poach pears until tender. This will take about 20 minutes depending of the size and ripeness of the pears.

When cooked, remove the pears from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

Turn up the heat under the pan and reduce the poaching liquid by about one third. Remove the vanilla pod, pour over the pears and leave to cool.

Mix together the Gorgonzola and cream and serve with the pears. You could serve some extra honey on the side.

Both these have been tried and tested and are very good: A Village Pump reader!

Anonymous