Written by Karen Watts
Photography by Chris Watts
This week Kalliopi Kitchen desires have turned to Meat. Specifically beef. Though during a few periods of my life I have forgone meat altogether I am in truth a huge lover of meat, if, and it is a big if, it is cooked right. Fillet, Rib Eye and Sirloin Steaks should be cooked and eaten rare. I really don’t care if you prefer it well done, cooking best cuts of properly fed beef cattle for anything more than medium rare is a culinary crime. Conversely, Beef Rump and Ribs benefit intensely from slow cooking. If you haven’t got the time, if you enjoy your beef, make the time.
Generally Rodians cook their beef to extinction and it is only very recently that the concept of a rare steak has filtered through to those providing commercially cooked food, particularly for visitors to the island. Thankfully there are now a few places where you just know that the quality of the meat and the juiciness of its rare cooking will be exemplary – El Toro http://www.eltoro.gr/en/home/ Tamam https://www.tamamrhodes.com/ and Roula’s https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roulas-Restaurant-Lardos/167521389973203 to name just a few.
A common misconception for visitors perusing menus in Rodian restaurants is the use of the word Veal. This is a “lost in translation” moment. For many people in the UK and France the word Veal conjures up scenes of force fed baby calves locked in dark sheds. The only words in that definition that apply to Rodian meat are baby calves. Rodians call all baby cattle veal and mostly this means that the animals have led normal, if short, lives before being slaughtered in the usual way of all animals. Just like lambs are to mutton, so, here on Rodos, is veal to beef.
Two of the many reasons we decided we would rather live on a Greek island than in the UK were the quality and cost of available food and the ever increasing rise of the “Health & Safety Society”. I learned recently from a friend who went to a celebrated French restaurant in London that it is now illegal to flambé in public in the UK. This practice, which has gone on for centuries, is not just a great way to imbue flavour into things, burn off alcohol and create great gastronomic theatre, it is also loads of fun to do! Part of me is highly amused that as a society we have allowed these kind of ridiculous restrictions to be imposed upon us, another part of me is thoroughly saddened by the loss of this wonderful culinary flourish in a world that gets less and less fun, creative and artful by the weekly edicts from above of “what you can’t do”.
So Flambé and be damned..!
Beef Stewed in Red Wine
A Gluten Free Recipe
This dish ideally takes a couple of days, and, like most stews gets better by the day.
600 gr Best Steak, what ever cut you prefer, cubed
2 Large Onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and chopped
A small handful of Thyme, shredded
2 Bay Leaves
1 Bunch of Parsley, roughly torn
1 Bottle of Good Red Wine
125 gr thick Bacon, diced
1 Small Wine Glass of Metaxa (Any Brandy will do)
75 ml Dry Sherry
Large Knob of Butter
156 gr Mushrooms – small button mushrooms are best but if unavailable chop normal mushrooms to the same sort of size
135 gr Baby Onions, peeled
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Put the beef, onions, carrots, shallots, garlic and herbs in a large shallow plastic or glass tray. (Never use metal). Pour over the wine. Clingfilm and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Lift out the meat, then strain and reserve the liquid and the vegetables in separate bowls.
Fry the bacon in its own fat in a large heavy based pot. Add the meat and brown on all sides.
Now, here comes the fun bit!!!
Pour over the Metaxa and set light to it. Trust me, this really is fun. Let it flame for about a minute before blowing it out.
(Here’s the Health & Safety bit: Do NOT do this in a Mediterranean Kitchen with a pergola or lots of plants, or in a low ceilinged environment).
Add the sherry and barely cover with the reserved marinade. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 3 hours. If it looks to be drying out, add a little more marinade.
Melt the butter in a pan and fry the mushrooms. Add to the meat and throw in the baby onions. Cook the stew for a further 15 minutes, until the onions are tender. Season to taste.
Serve with pasta and the reserved vegetables stir fried.
This will feed 4 hungry people.
Karen’s Confused Pie
A Lactose Free Recipe
2 Onions, peeled and chopped
30 ml Olive Oil
430 gr Best Steak, sliced
115 gr Flour
55 gr Suet (I prefer to use Vegetarian Suet)
1/2 tsp each Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Handful of Parsley, chopped
140 ml Beef Stock, preferably home made
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sweet Paprika
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Horseradish Sauce
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Fry the onions in a pot in the olive oil. Add the meat and brown. Add the stock, vinegar, paprika, sugar, horseradish, salt and pepper, bring very gently to the boil and simmer.
Meanwhile put the flour, suet, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to a soft dough with iced water. Put on to a floured board, roll into a round the size of your pot and gently lower on top of the meat. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 35 minutes. During this process the pastry will resemble, what Chris calls, Confused Candy Floss.
To serve, remove the crust from the pot and cut into quarters. Put the meat mixture on to warm plates, place the pastry on top of the meat and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
If you prefer a slightly crispier crust, place under a hot grill for 5 minutes.
Serve with boiled new potatoes.
Next time: Lindos, Love & Laughter. CLICK HERE
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