Blackened Flank Steak

While perusing one of my favorite food blogs, Nibble Me This, I saw this recipe for a blackened dry rub for steaks. I had a flank steak in my fridge that I needed to use up so I decided to give this spicy rub a try. I adapted it just a bit by using less cayenne pepper and using celery salt instead of celery seed. I sprinkled it lightly on one portion of the steak so it wouldn't be too spicy for

Blackened Flank Steak

While perusing one of my favorite food blogs, Nibble Me This, I saw this recipe for a blackened dry rub for steaks. I had a flank steak in my fridge that I needed to use up so I decided to give this spicy rub a try. I adapted it just a bit by using less cayenne pepper and using celery salt instead of celery seed. I sprinkled it lightly on one portion of the steak so it wouldn't be too spicy for

The new cheap cuts: tips from The Ginger Pig

All of us I guess like to think of our meat coming from a farm where the animals graze freely and are well looked after but few can have such a good life as at the Ginger Pig. I visited one of their three farms up near Pickering in North Yorkshire the other day and it made me feel I never wanted to buy supermarket meat again.

The problem is good meat is pricey - too pricey for most families to afford you’d think but in actual fact so long as you avoid the prime cuts - and, ironically, the humble cuts that have become so fashionable like pork belly and lamb shanks there are bargains to be found.

Who would have thought that topside and silverside were among the best-priced joints on the butchers’ slab these days but according to farmer Tim Wilson everyone wants ribs. And pork legs are better value than belly. He also told me he can hardly give away lambs’ liver and hearts so reluctant are we to eat offal.


My own view is that we’d all be better off if we ate less meat and saved it, as our grandparents did, for a once a week treat - with leftovers if you were lucky. And if we took the advice of our local butcher rather than a telly chef and only decided what to make once we found out what was cheap that week. That means being more flexible about what we cook and eat - not easy in a generation of fussy eaters. (I’m not being holier than thou here. At least two of my children wouldn’t touch offal.)

Another problem is that not everyone lives close to a butcher these days but I reckon if you ring up one of the many online suppliers and tell them you’re looking for good value cuts they’ll respond. And if you band together with some neighbours on a delivery it shouldn’t cost too much. At the time of writing, for example, Sheepdrove has an offer on organic pork shoulder at £6.40 a kilo (though I’m amused to see they lump offal with ‘doggy bags’. Hardly encouraging . . .)


And if you’re lucky to live within striking distance of one of Tim’s Ginger Pig shops - in Borough Market, Marylebone and Hackney - you can drop by and see what he's got. He was telling me about a cut called lamb 'Henrys' which is a shoulder of lamb divided into about five or six big chunks, which he says is cheaper than buying lamb shanks and can be cooked exactly the same way. You’ll find more suggestions in his forthcoming book The Ginger Pig Meat Book which is written with a cookery writer friend of mine, Fran Warde. (Quick plug there for Tim and Fran.)

So what’s your attitude to buying meat and how often do you eat it? Do you buy direct from the farmer, from a butcher or do you mainly use the supermarket? (Incidentally Tim said that he thinks that Morrisons has the best meat of the big chains) What are your favourite cheap cuts?


March 1st
I actually did call by the Ginger Pig's Borough Market shop the other day. Disappointingly they didn't have much in the way of cheap topside and silverside but there were some great pork bargains including pork ribs for £4.95 a kilo, hand of pork for £5.95 a kilo and pork hocks for £3.80 each. (I'm sure you could find them cheaper out of London that's fair for rare breed pork). They also - impressively - knew what Lamb Henrys were!

The new cheap cuts: tips from The Ginger Pig

All of us I guess like to think of our meat coming from a farm where the animals graze freely and are well looked after but few can have such a good life as at the Ginger Pig. I visited one of their three farms up near Pickering in North Yorkshire the other day and it made me feel I never wanted to buy supermarket meat again.

The problem is good meat is pricey - too pricey for most families to afford you’d think but in actual fact so long as you avoid the prime cuts - and, ironically, the humble cuts that have become so fashionable like pork belly and lamb shanks there are bargains to be found.

Who would have thought that topside and silverside were among the best-priced joints on the butchers’ slab these days but according to farmer Tim Wilson everyone wants ribs. And pork legs are better value than belly. He also told me he can hardly give away lambs’ liver and hearts so reluctant are we to eat offal.


My own view is that we’d all be better off if we ate less meat and saved it, as our grandparents did, for a once a week treat - with leftovers if you were lucky. And if we took the advice of our local butcher rather than a telly chef and only decided what to make once we found out what was cheap that week. That means being more flexible about what we cook and eat - not easy in a generation of fussy eaters. (I’m not being holier than thou here. At least two of my children wouldn’t touch offal.)

Another problem is that not everyone lives close to a butcher these days but I reckon if you ring up one of the many online suppliers and tell them you’re looking for good value cuts they’ll respond. And if you band together with some neighbours on a delivery it shouldn’t cost too much. At the time of writing, for example, Sheepdrove has an offer on organic pork shoulder at £6.40 a kilo (though I’m amused to see they lump offal with ‘doggy bags’. Hardly encouraging . . .)


And if you’re lucky to live within striking distance of one of Tim’s Ginger Pig shops - in Borough Market, Marylebone and Hackney - you can drop by and see what he's got. He was telling me about a cut called lamb 'Henrys' which is a shoulder of lamb divided into about five or six big chunks, which he says is cheaper than buying lamb shanks and can be cooked exactly the same way. You’ll find more suggestions in his forthcoming book The Ginger Pig Meat Book which is written with a cookery writer friend of mine, Fran Warde. (Quick plug there for Tim and Fran.)

So what’s your attitude to buying meat and how often do you eat it? Do you buy direct from the farmer, from a butcher or do you mainly use the supermarket? (Incidentally Tim said that he thinks that Morrisons has the best meat of the big chains) What are your favourite cheap cuts?

Italian Meatball Soup

I have a terrible sore throat and stuffy nose so I wanted to make a comforting soup for dinner. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's site and decided to give it a try. I love all the ingredients in this hearty and filling soup and the meatballs turned out tender and very flavorful. It was fairly simple to make and made the house smell delicious while simmering. We all enjoyed this soup,

Italian Meatball Soup

I have a terrible sore throat and stuffy nose so I wanted to make a comforting soup for dinner. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's site and decided to give it a try. I love all the ingredients in this hearty and filling soup and the meatballs turned out tender and very flavorful. It was fairly simple to make and made the house smell delicious while simmering. We all enjoyed this soup,

Greek Burger

We recently ate dinner at a local burger place and my husband had a Greek burger with feta cheese, kalamata olives, and roasted garlic on top. It was very delicious and full of my favorite flavors so I decided to recreate it at home. I loved the chunks of roasted garlic, salty feta, tangy kalamata olives, and spicy pepperocini. The burgers were a huge hit with my husband and I (my children opted

Greek Burger

We recently ate dinner at a local burger place and my husband had a Greek burger with feta cheese, kalamata olives, and roasted garlic on top. It was very delicious and full of my favorite flavors so I decided to recreate it at home. I loved the chunks of roasted garlic, salty feta, tangy kalamata olives, and spicy pepperocini. The burgers were a huge hit with my husband and I (my children opted

Shredded Beef and Avocado Tostada

The shredded beef from the Beef and Sweet Potato Baked Taquitos was so delicious that I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers. I made these tasty tostadas for lunch and they simple, healthy, and tasted fantastic. I loved the tender beef with the crisp corn tortilla and the creamy refried beans topped with tasty lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and cotija cheese. It was a light yet filling

Shredded Beef and Avocado Tostada

The shredded beef from the Beef and Sweet Potato Baked Taquitos was so delicious that I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers. I made these tasty tostadas for lunch and they simple, healthy, and tasted fantastic. I loved the tender beef with the crisp corn tortilla and the creamy refried beans topped with tasty lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and cotija cheese. It was a light yet filling

Shredded Beef and Sweet Potato Baked Taquitos

We were heading to a friends house to celebrate his birthday. His wife wanted me to bring Taquitos to pair with the Tortilla Soup she was making. I decided to make the taquitos using ingredients and flavors from one of the birthday boy's favorite dishes I made for him last spring, my Shredded Beef and Sweet Potato Stuffed Chiles. The beef turned out AMAZING - it was so tender, juicy, and

Shredded Beef and Sweet Potato Baked Taquitos

We were heading to a friends house to celebrate his birthday. His wife wanted me to bring Taquitos to pair with the Tortilla Soup she was making. I decided to make the taquitos using ingredients and flavors from one of the birthday boy's favorite dishes I made for him last spring, my Shredded Beef and Sweet Potato Stuffed Chiles. The beef turned out AMAZING - it was so tender, juicy, and

Flavorful Flank Steak

I got this Alton Brown marinade from the Food Network website. It was so quick and easy to make and the marinade was SO FLAVORFUL! I really, really loved the flavor this marinade gave to the flank steak. I marinated it for 24 hours and it was perfect. You just can't beat quick, simple, and delicious recipes like this. I served this steak with my Southwestern Salad and Roasted Tomatoes with

Flavorful Flank Steak

I got this Alton Brown marinade from the Food Network website. It was so quick and easy to make and the marinade was SO FLAVORFUL! I really, really loved the flavor this marinade gave to the flank steak. I marinated it for 24 hours and it was perfect. You just can't beat quick, simple, and delicious recipes like this. I served this steak with my Southwestern Salad and Roasted Tomatoes with

White Bean Soup with Chorizo and Kale

The weather has been cold and rainy lately so I decided to warm us up with a pot of soup. I found this recipe in my Cooking Light - November issue and I was excited to make it. My husband loves chorizo so I knew he would be very happy to come home from work to a big bowl of this spicy soup. It was quick and simple to make and had very little clean up - my favorite kind of recipe. My husband loved

White Bean Soup with Chorizo and Kale

The weather has been cold and rainy lately so I decided to warm us up with a pot of soup. I found this recipe in my Cooking Light - November issue and I was excited to make it. My husband loves chorizo so I knew he would be very happy to come home from work to a big bowl of this spicy soup. It was quick and simple to make and had very little clean up - my favorite kind of recipe. My husband loved

Chilly con Carne

I don't know about you but this weather is making me crave rib-sticking soups and stews and I suddenly really fancied making a chilli or - maybe more appropriately - Chilly con Carne.

I was thinking of making this south-west American version (in the rather messy, quickly snatched photo, above) which I included in my beer book An Appetite for Ale and which uses chopped rather than ground beef. What clinched it was finding a one and a half kilo joint of top rump in the Co-op reduced to £3.72 instead of £9 odd a kilo for braising beef. (There was even enough left over to make another stew.)

My original (for which I've given the recipe below) used a mild chile called Chile Molido from Santa Fe which gives a particularly good rich texture but as I didn't have any left I used a tablespoon of mild chilli powder, a heaped teaspoon of sweet pimenton, a teaspoon of hot pimenton and about the same of some smokey ground chile I brought back from Chile earlier this year. (You can buy Chile Molido aka New Mexican Red from the Spice Shop in Blenheim Crescent or online if you want a more authentic south-western flavour)

I also used 2 tins of kidney beans rather than cooking them from scratch because I couldn't face going out in the cold to buy some!

Serves 6

For the beans
250g dried red kidney beans
1 bayleaf
1 tsp epazote - a Mexican herb which is often used for cooking beans (optional)
A few black peppercorns

Or use 2 x 400g tins of red kidney beans

For the chile
5-6 tbsp sunflower or other cooking oil
800g-1kg braising steak, topside or top rump, whatever's cheapest
2 onions (about 250g in total), peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
5-6 tbsp chile molido (or a mixture of mild and hotter chile as described above - about 2-3 tbsp in total. You want something, ideally to give it a smoky edge)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 level tbsp plain flour
300ml beef stock
175ml lager (optional - you could just add extra stock but it gives it an edge)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain them, cover with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum and boil hard for 10 minutes then turn the heat down and add the bayleaf, peppercorns and epazote if using (it flavours the beans and makes them less flatulent!). Cook for about an hour to an hour and a quarter until the beans are tender, topping up with boiling water as necessary. Set aside till the chile is cooked.

Meanwhile pat the meat dry, remove any fat or gristle and cut into very small cubes. Pour a little of the oil into a frying pan and brown the meat in batches, transferring it to a casserole as you complete each batch.

Add the remaining oil (you’ll need about 3 tbsp) and fry the onions until soft but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic, cook for a minute then stir in the flour, 2-5 tbsp of ground chile (see above) and 1 1/2 tsp cumin.

Cook for a few seconds then add the stock and lager, if using, and bring to the boil. Pour the sauce over the meat, stir well, bring back to the boil then turn the heat right down and simmer for 2 hours or so till the meat is tender adding a little water if the sauce gets too thick.

Drain the beans and add to the meat and cook for another half hour. Taste the sauce and add a few drops of cider vinegar and a little more chilli powder just to lift the flavour. Serve with baked potatoes and homemade coleslaw or corn or wheat tortillas and an avocado salsa.

* Actually if you can leave this overnight and reheat it it tastes even better. Like most stews.

What's your favourite way of making chilli? And favourite way of serving it?

Chilly con Carne

I don't know about you but this weather is making me crave rib-sticking soups and stews and I suddenly really fancied making a chilli or - maybe more appropriately - Chilly con Carne.

I was thinking of making this south-west American version (in the rather messy, quickly snatched photo, above) which I included in my beer book An Appetite for Ale and which uses chopped rather than ground beef. What clinched it was finding a one and a half kilo joint of top rump in the Co-op reduced to £3.72 instead of £9 odd a kilo for braising beef. (There was even enough left over to make another stew.)

My original (for which I've given the recipe below) used a mild chile called Chile Molido from Santa Fe which gives a particularly good rich texture but as I didn't have any left I used a tablespoon of mild chilli powder, a heaped teaspoon of sweet pimenton, a teaspoon of hot pimenton and about the same of some smokey ground chile I brought back from Chile earlier this year. (You can buy Chile Molido aka New Mexican Red from the Spice Shop in Blenheim Crescent or online if you want a more authentic south-western flavour)

I also used 2 tins of kidney beans rather than cooking them from scratch because I couldn't face going out in the cold to buy some!

Serves 6

For the beans
250g dried red kidney beans
1 bayleaf
1 tsp epazote - a Mexican herb which is often used for cooking beans (optional)
A few black peppercorns

Or use 2 x 400g tins of red kidney beans

For the chile
5-6 tbsp sunflower or other cooking oil
800g-1kg braising steak, topside or top rump, whatever's cheapest
2 onions (about 250g in total), peeled and roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
5-6 tbsp chile molido (or a mixture of mild and hotter chile as described above - about 2-3 tbsp in total. You want something, ideally to give it a smoky edge)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 level tbsp plain flour
300ml beef stock
175ml lager (optional - you could just add extra stock but it gives it an edge)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain them, cover with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum and boil hard for 10 minutes then turn the heat down and add the bayleaf, peppercorns and epazote if using (it flavours the beans and makes them less flatulent!). Cook for about an hour to an hour and a quarter until the beans are tender, topping up with boiling water as necessary. Set aside till the chile is cooked.

Meanwhile pat the meat dry, remove any fat or gristle and cut into very small cubes. Pour a little of the oil into a frying pan and brown the meat in batches, transferring it to a casserole as you complete each batch.

Add the remaining oil (you’ll need about 3 tbsp) and fry the onions until soft but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic, cook for a minute then stir in the flour, 2-5 tbsp of ground chile (see above) and 1 1/2 tsp cumin.

Cook for a few seconds then add the stock and lager, if using, and bring to the boil. Pour the sauce over the meat, stir well, bring back to the boil then turn the heat right down and simmer for 2 hours or so till the meat is tender adding a little water if the sauce gets too thick.

Drain the beans and add to the meat and cook for another half hour. Taste the sauce and add a few drops of cider vinegar and a little more chilli powder just to lift the flavour. Serve with baked potatoes and homemade coleslaw or corn or wheat tortillas and an avocado salsa.

* Actually if you can leave this overnight and reheat it it tastes even better. Like most stews.

What's your favourite way of making chilli? And favourite way of serving it?

Grilled Steak with Avocado Sauce

I was searching the web for avocado recipes and when I saw this recipe on Life's Ambrosia I knew I had to make it. I adapted it a bit by using the steaks I had on hand, which happened to be a rib eye and a couple of top sirloin. I also used extra seasonings on the steaks to suit my families tastes. It was a HUGE hit with all of us, especially my kids. My daughter couldn't get enough steak or

Grilled Steak with Avocado Sauce

I was searching the web for avocado recipes and when I saw this recipe on Life's Ambrosia I knew I had to make it. I adapted it a bit by using the steaks I had on hand, which happened to be a rib eye and a couple of top sirloin. I also used extra seasonings on the steaks to suit my families tastes. It was a HUGE hit with all of us, especially my kids. My daughter couldn't get enough steak or