Menu Monday

Evening everyone, I'm here to announce an exciting collaboration between my blog Because Everything Counts and The Sewing Sisterhood.

Meal planning is big in our home and I've been doing it for around 4 years, saving my sanity and $$.

Read here the first part in my three part series of Why I Menu Plan.

So every Monday I will share my Menu Plan on my blog and then post two recipes here.

To begin with we have;

Beef Bourguignon with Chive DumplingsPrep 20 mins Cook 2hrs 10mins

2 tablespoons olive oil
1.5kg diced beef chuck steak
20g shortcut rindless bacon, halved lengthwise, cut into 1cm strips
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I use minced garlic from the jar)
3 medium brown onions, quartered
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup bef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
300g button mushrooms, halved

1. Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based, flameprof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cook beef in batches for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Heat remaining oil in dish. Add bacon and garlic. Cook stiring for 5 minutes or until bacon is golden.

3. Return beef and juices to dish. Add onion and wine. Bring to the boil. Add stock and paste. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Reserve half the beef for Beef Stroganoff.

4. Add mushrooms, cook covered for a further 15 minutes or until meat and mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper.


Chive dumplings

1 cup self raising flour
50g butter, softened
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup buttermilk (I use regular milk)

Place flour in a bowl. Using fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of mixture. Add chives, parsley and buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until just combined. Place heaped tablespoons of mixture 2cm apart onto beef mixture. Cook covered for a further 15 minutes or until dumplings are puffed and cooked through. Enjoy!

The recipe sounds big because a half portion is used for another meal ~ Beef Stroganoff. You could just freeze the other portion and use it later.

The second meal we had tonight..very yummy.  Thanks to the lovely chef Kelly from Culinary HQ for this recipe.

Pan roasted chicken thigh with Skordalia

1 red onion sliced
4 pieces of Maryland chicken thighs- skinless and boneless
½ tsp dried herbs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pc of thinly sliced garlic cloves
10 pc cherry tomatoes
½ preserved lemon
8 slices of coppa or prosciutto
Sea salt
Black pepper

Line a baking tray with baking paper

Marinate the chicken thigh with dried herbs, preserved lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil

Place the sliced onion on a tray and lay over the chicken thigh
Top with the halved cherry tomatoes

Place the sliced coppa over the thigh to cover

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes at 170 degrees

The chicken thigh is cooked when the juices run clear.


Skordalia
2 Potato peeled and diced
1 Parsnip peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic

½ cup of milk
½ cup of cream
3 tbsp olive oil

Place the vegetables in a pot and cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and simmer until soft like a mash.

Drain and place back in the pot and mash with the milk, cream and olive oil

Season with sea salt and pepper

Serve with a large scoop of skordalia on a bed of baby spinach, pearl cous cous or chick peas!
Bon appetite!