Page 29 - Sphere No.30 (Dec 2011)

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Sphere 30
Beef and Guinness Pie
By Chris Jones
Ingredients
Pastry:
1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose/plain flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (110g) butter, cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard
2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml)cold water
1 egg, beaten for glaze
Filling:
1/4 cup (25g) all-purpose/plain flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 pounds (900g) chuck beef steak cut into 1”/2.5cm cubes
1 1/2 tablespoons (20g) butter
1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 carrots chopped in to 2.5cm cubes
2 teaspoons (10ml) Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons (10ml) tomato puree
2 cups (500ml) Guinness beer or other stout
1 1/4 cups (300ml) hot beef stock
2 teaspoons (10g) sugar
Directions
Pastry:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/Gas 6).
Combine flour, butter and salt and roll out to 1/10 inch (3mm)
thick. Cut a 3/4-inch (2cm) strip from the rolled-out pastry.
Brush the rim of the pie dish with water and place the pastry
strip around the rim, pressing it down. Cut the remaining
pastry into a circle about 1” (2.5cm) larger than the dish. Sit a
pie funnel in the centre of the filling to support the pastry and
stop it from sinking into the filling and becoming soggy.
Place the pastry circle over the top of the pie funnel and press
down the edges to seal. Trim off any excess pastry and crimp
the edges with a fork or between your thumb and forefinger.
Brush the top with beaten egg and make a hole in the centre
to reveal the pie funnel. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the
pastry is crisp and golden.
Filling:
Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and black
pepper to taste. Add meat and toss well in the flour until
evenly coated.
Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy-based, flameproof
casserole dish until the butter has melted. Add the meat to oil
and butter in small batches and brown quickly all over for a
minute or two then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onions and carrots to the pan and fry gently for about
two minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add remaining
filling ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, stir well and
bring to the boil. Cover and reduce to a gentle simmer and
cook slowly for about two hours or until the meat is tender
and the sauce has thickened and become glossy. Remove
from heat, place into a 1.5-quart (1.5 litre) deep pie dish and
leave to cool completely.
5- 6 1hr 35mins
A seaside favourite,
Hong Kong-style
As Cantonese cuisine goes, stir-fried crab is one of the
simplest dishes to prepare, according to Teree Fong,
Assistant Manager – Learning and Development at
Hutchison Whampoa Properties Group. “I love this recipe
because it is so fast and easy to make, and because it
incorporates one of my favourite local delicacies: crab.”
Stir-fried crab is typical of cuisine in southern China’s
coastal regions, and Ms Fong relishes the opportunity to
prepare the dish for her family. “I love every step of the
process, from shopping for ingredients in Hong Kong’s
noisy, chaotic wet markets to finishing the last bite of the
dish with my family,” said Ms Fong.
Stir-fried Crab Spring
with Onion and Ginger
Ingredients
2 whole crabs
Few tablespoons corn starch
10-12 slices ginger
5 garlic cloves
1 stalk spring onion, cut into one-inch (2 1/2 cm) sections
1/4 cup (50ml) Shaoxing rice wine
1 1/3 cups (300ml) water
1 tablespoon (15ml) oyster sauce
1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15g) sugar
Directions
Rinse crabs, remove internal organs and cut into pieces. Make
sure that crab claws are well-drained. Sprinkle the crab pieces
with corn starch; set aside.
Heat wok to medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup (80ml) oil. Add
ginger and stir fry for 1 – 2 minutes. Add garlic cloves and stir fry
until garlic turns golden brown. Add crab claw and stir fry until
claws turn orange-red. Add crab pieces and stir fry until shells
turn orange-red, stirring frequently. Add onion and rice wine
and stir fry just until onion is cooked. Add water and sugar and
simmer until half the water has been absorbed. Add oyster and
soy sauces, mixing well. If dish is too runny, add a small amount
of corn starch mixed with water and stir until thickened.
Stir-fried Crab with
Spring Onion and Ginger
By Teree Fong
4- 5 30mins 15mins