Chocolate Banana Nut Bread

recipe to follow.

Rice Pudding

recipe to follow.

Classic English Beef Stew

This recipe evolved from my mum's classic stew and I'm sure it was passed down from my Grandma and Nana. It always makes me think of my Nana when I eat this.


Classic English Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 lbs stewing beef
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 onions chopped/sliced
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup red wine
2 bay leaves
5-6 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp dried herbes de provence
3-4 cups beef stock (or water)
1/3 cup barley (optional)
4 potatoes cubed
3 carrots sliced/chopped (on a bias)
2 stalks celery chopped (on a bias)
1 large parsnip chopped (on a bias)
1 medium turnip cubed
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Dry the stewing beef with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy bottomed pot/dutch oven heat 1 tbsp of oil on high heat. In batches sear the beef and set browned meat to the side (be sure to keep the juices).
3. Once the beef is browned immediately add the onions to the hot pot. Season them with a pinch of salt (this will draw the moisture out). Saute for a minute, then add the garlic and herbes de provence and saute a minute more.
4. Deglaze the pot with red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to get all the brown bits of the bottom.
5. Add the beef back into the pot, making sure to put all the juices in. Cover everything with stock and add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
6. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes then add the barley. Simmer for an additional hour. If not adding barley, simply simmer for 1.5 hours.
7. After 1.5 hours add all the vegetables. If needed, add more water/stock so everything is covered. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
9. Add the frozen peas and corn and allow to heat through, about 5 minutes.
10. If you didn't add the barley, you may need to thicken the stew with a slurry. In a seperate bowl mix 1/4 water with 1-2 tbsp of cornstarch. Add to the stew and let it cook for a few minutes.

Serve with crusty bread (and butter!). Enjoy!

Tips: 
-If you don't have fresh thyme, simply substitute 1.5tsp dried thyme leaves when you are sauteing the garlic and onions.
-I cook my turnip ahead of time and add it at the end and allow it to reheat. Turnip can be unpredictable, although most of the time it takes about an hour to an hour and a half. One Thanksgiving though the turnips still wasn't cooked after 3 hours! So I'd definitely recommend cooking it through ahead of time and adding the turnip and some of the turnip cooking water to the stew at the end and allowing it to heat through.
-the type of red win doesn't matter, but make sure it's something you would drink in a glass. If you wouldn't drink with it, why would you cook with it?

Southwestern inspired Pork Stew

This stew may not be truly authentic but most of the ingredients are those you probably have kicking around your pantry and can liven up this cut of pork! I was inspired by the idea of fusing my favourite honey garlic pork with flavours of the southwest and this is what I came  up with!

Southwestern inspired Pork Stew
Ingredients:

1.5 lbs stewing pork
1 cup flour
1 tsp cayenne powder 
1 tbsp ground cumin
salt and pepper (about 1 tsp each)
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
4-5 sprigs of thyme
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 jalapeno (seeded and finely chopped)
1 sweet potato cubed
2 stalks of celery chopped (on a bias/slant if you like)
2-3 carrots chopped (on a bias/slant if you like)
1 tbsp molasses
2 tsp honey
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro (optional)

Directions:
1. In a ziploc bag (or a bowl) toss the flour, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Dredge each piece of pork in the flour mixture and set aside on a plate.
2.On high heat, n a heavy bottomed pot, or dutch oven, heat a tbsp of the oil until it is almost smoking. Sear the pork in batches (make sure not to crowd the pan) until brown on all sides. Remove cooked pork to a plate. Add any needed oil as needed. (Don't be worried if the bottom of your pan gets dark brown - that's flavour!)
3. Once the meat is all browned and resting on a plate immediately add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium. Add a tsp of salt and pepper. After a minute add the garlic, cumin seeds and jalapeno. Saute for a minute or two longer.
4. Deglaze the pan by adding the wince. Use a wooden spoon to get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
5. Once the wine has mostly evapourated add the pork back into the pot, make sure to add all the juices/drippings on the plate.
6.Cover with stock and add the bay leaves and thyme. Simmer for 45 minutes.
7. Add the vegetables (celery, carrots, sweet potato) and cover with chicken stock and let simmer for an additional 30-45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
8. Add the frozen corn and heat through, about 2 minutes. Also add the molasses and honey.
9. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Tips

-The jalapeno is optional, add as much or as little as you like. If you don't have fresh jalapenos then substitute 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper.
-Rice: I made 2 cups of basmati rice with 2 1/2 cups with water and a pinch of salt. Bring rice to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 16-18 minutes. Make sure to let the rice rest for 5 minutes before taking the lid off.
-If you don't have fresh thyme you can use 1 tsp of dried thyme leaves instead. Just add the dried thyme along with the cumin seeds when sauteing the garlic.
-if you want, you can add a can of kidney beans or black beans along with the vegetables.