WINTER BEEF RIBS

Recipe adapted from Adam Liaw’s slow roasted rib

We call this lazy Sunday cooking. But the slow roasting and baking really gave this popular “messy’ dish a new life to the simple beef ribs. WARNING: after 3 hours, the meat is seriously tender and addictive.

The fact that it’s incredibly easy and only one roasting pot/pan is used and washed.

Just throw everything together and let your free 3 hours to do the work.

Slow Roasted Beef Ribs (Pork ribs are just as good)

3kg beef short ribs

Dry rub

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder

Caramelised onion barbecue sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large brown onions, peeled and grated
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp malt vinegar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Heat your oven to 140ºC. Combine the ingredients for the dry rub and rub all over the ribs. Place into a large oven tray, cover with aluminium foil and bake for 3 hours until the ribs are tender.

While the ribs are cooking, make the barbecue sauce. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are caramelised, browned and very soft. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Remove from the heat.

Increase the heat of the oven to 175ºC. Brush the ribs with about half of the barbecue sauce and return uncovered to the oven for about 20-30 minutes, until caramelised. Serve the ribs with the remaining barbecue sauce and scatter with the pickles and parsley.

Now, just kick back and enjoy your free day!

Everybody Loves Bolognese

It is a life’s challenge to perfect the Bolognese sauce. The classic Italian home cooked sauce gives a ragu alla bolognese in its most basic form: minced steak, onion, celery, carrot and tomato purée, cooked for an hour and a half with a little water to keep it moist.

What about the extras? Chicken livers and chopped bacon or uncooked ham, in addition to the usual vegetables, plus white wine, stock and tomato purée have all been included in the many published recipes.

The other key additions are the dairy products, which feature milk, fresh cream and double cream. Although the flavour is barely detectable in the finished sauce, some few hours later in the oven, the milk does add a definite sweetness which works well with the bright, fresh flavour of the white wine it accompanies.

As for the wine, there is no doubt that red wine definitely looks the part: much darker than the other recipes, and far richer and more savoury in flavour.

In the end, cooking from the heart will always give an “authentic” taste to this much loved dish.

This recipe was tried and tested AND it was pretty amazing, if you don’t mind 3 to 4 hours of long and slow cooking time.

How do you like your Bolognese?

Generous slabs of butter
200g smoked streaky bacon, finely diced
2 onion, finely diced
2 carrot, finely diced
4 sticks celery, finely diced
500g coarsely minced beef, at room temperature
100g chicken liver, finely chopped (optional)
300ml whole milk
Nutmeg, to grate
300ml dry red wine
2 tins whole tomatoes

1. Melt the butter in a large casserole set over a gentle heat, and then add the bacon. Once the bacon fat has started to melt, add the onion, and cook gently until softened, then tip in the carrot, and cook for 5 minutes before adding the celery and cooking for a further 2 minutes.
2. Crumble the beef into the pan and brown, stirring occasionally to break up any lumps. Season, then stir in the liver, and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 125C. Pour in the milk, and grate a little nutmeg over the top. Simmer gently until almost all the milk has evaporated, which should take about half an hour.
4. Pour in the wine and the tomatoes and stir well. Put the casserole into the oven, with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for at least 3 hours (4 is even better) until the meat is very tender. Check on it occasionally. Serve with pasta or gnocchi, and grated parmesan or pecorino cheese.

 

Good Truffle Hunting

Calling all truffle lovers!  The truffle season will commence in June and the shortest distance to travel to truffle hunt is in Canberra. The Truffle Festival – Canberra Region is just weeks away from opening! To die for dinners, live and local truffle hunts with helpful hounds, or cooking classes will turn your winter into truffle shuffle. And that’s just the start of it! This annual event will have something for every taste, tastebud and budget. Even the kids will love it!

To kick off the season, a live truffle hunt with growers and their dogs is a must. Spend a weekend or just a day hunting, searching, sniffing and collecting. The whole family will love it!  Hunts are available at Macenmist Black Truffles and Wines (Bredbo), Turalla Truffles (Bungendore), Tarago Truffles (Tarago) and Blue Frog Truffles (Sutton). Hunts will take place most weekends during winter and involve extras like lunches, tastings and cooking demonstrations.

Basic Truffle 101

So What Is a Truffle?

Truffles are a kind of subterranean fungi, meaning they are a mushroom that grows underground. Truffles are still hunted by pigs, which is the traditional way to find them, but these days more and more dogs are being recruited for the job as they can be trained to not eat the little prizes.

What Kinds of Truffles Are There?

There are two kinds of truffles that are most popular in the cooking world: black and white truffles.

Black truffle is a variety that was originally found in the Périgord region of southwest France. The black truffle is commonly used in all sorts of dishes, such as foie gras and soups. It is also turned into a luscious oil that can be drizzled over almost anything to enhance its

White truffle is an Italian mushroom. This variety was originally found in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, in the countryside around Alba. They are used in a variety of dishes, such as risotto and seafood and can be turned into flavoured oil just like their French counterparts.

What Do Truffles Taste Like?

While all truffles have an earthy flavour, each kind has its own distinct taste and fragrance; white truffles have a creamier taste, while black truffles are known for their woody notes. If you are interested in experimenting with truffles, you should consider picking up a bottle of truffle oil. There is nothing quite like the taste of a truffle, and even a light dab of truffle oil can give a dish a new tastebud.

PS. Chocolate Truffles Are Edible…But Are Not MushroomsJ

Check out Truffles Festival in Canberra between June and August!

http://www.trufflefestival.com.au/

 

What’s happening in Autumn?

If you’re looking for the very best in fresh produce – and who isn’t? – then look no further than Eastwood’s favourite greengrocer. Our resident rockstar buyer, Joe Coluccio will be bringing you the freshest and best quality produce everyday.

Although you may not know it from the weather, Autumn is well underway, bringing an abundance of colour and taste to your table. Now is the time to take advantage of the myriad colours and flavours and form a closer connection with nature, as local produce celebrates the season with an array of inspiring tastes and hues.

Addition is the time forthe iconic pumpkin to shine. Perfect for everything from soup to scones, Butternut is the go-to variety and is sure to improve any recipe. Use high heat to caramelise the natural sugars, char on the grill or add to stir fries.

Capsicums are also looking impressive after a long warm summer. Just like with people though, capsicum skin wrinkles with age. For the best capsicum, look for firm and glossy selections. For the sweetest taste go for the red caps, or choose the vine grown baby caps for minimal seeds.  Team your peppers with velvety, crisp green beans and firm zucchini, both of which are at their best in March-April.

For the absolute foodie, Birch Bolete mushrooms are rumoured to be the most flavoursome in the world, but are in limited supply (March–May). Be sure to cook them thoroughly, as they are not suitable for raw consumption. If unavailable, shitake, king brown and enoki offer great seasonal flavours.  For the adventurous, wild varieties can be foraged, but remember to be safe and go with a guide.

No Autumn spread is complete without a sumptuous dessert, and this year nature will not disappoint. Blackberries, lemons and pears complement the season’s mains perfectly, not just in colour but also in zesty taste.  Preserve blackberries early in the season to ensure your winter desserts are just as delicious. Be sure to watch for late Summer crops that have been maturing gently, storing their sweetness until just the right moment. Watermelon and strawberries (particularly in Southern states) have grown to a perfect flavor.

With your appetite tempted by thoughts of traditional Autumn fare, take your seasonal table on an exotic journey with the fabulous, lesser known fruit feijoa (fay-yoh-uh). Originally from Brazil, it looks like a cross between a lime and a passionfruit, but tastes like a blend of pineapple, guava and strawberry. It’s an exotic taste that may be just what your palate was craving. Select feijoa that are fragrant and slightly soft, then cut and scoop to eat, or even add to cooking. There are currently around seven varieties grown in Australia.

Before the weather cools and the season gets colder, take a moment to celebrate the riot of colour currently on display. Enjoy the changing of the seasons by combining late summer harvests with the cosy and comforting flavours of Autumn for a uniquely flavored experience.

 

Seasonal highlights:

Lemons, plums, rhubarb, mandarins, pears, blackberries, figs, persimmons.

Capsicum, beans, zucchini, beetroot, brussels sprouts, tomato, fennel, pumpkin, mushrooms.

The Superfresh Club Loyalty Program

 

Join up to our Loyalty program and be the first to enjoy the many discounts, and savings.

Superfresh Club – A brand new community where you will be rewarded for shopping with us.

As a valued customer of Superfresh Eastwood, you will now be rewarded with every dollars spent in-store. Don’t wait, click on the link below to register TODAY!!

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