Slow Roasted Beef with Rainbow Carrots and Truffle Oil

Photo provived by Sadiq's Food Photography Blog (Click here)

Rainbow carrots have just come into season and the varieties usually consist of purple, white and yellow. Originally, carrots used to be purple but after years of agricultural science and lack of imagination from our supermarket suppliers we've become accustom to orange carrots.
Here's a lovely winter salad recipe in which I marry beef, truffle oil and rainbow carrots together.

800g beef shoulder
1kg mixed rainbow carrots
70g hazelnuts
120g watercress, washed
75ml dark truffle oil
Sea salt and crushed pepper corns
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Place beef in a baking tray and pour over 250ml water, then generously rub beef in salt and pepper and drizzle over truffle oil. Cover tray with foil and place in oven set at 160ºC for 2 and half hours.

Peel the carrots, cut the top and tail then slice into 1cm thick long strips. Place carrots in a baking tray and pour over olive oil. Season carrots with a little salt and pepper then place in the oven with beef and roast for 50 minutes.

Roughly chop the hazelnuts in half, place a small pan over a medium heat and lightly toast the hazelnuts.

Once beef is cooked pull apart using 2 forks. To make the salad, you can either make 4-6 individual portions or one large platter. First lay down the watercress followed by carrots and shredded beef and lastly sprinkle over with hazelnuts and serve.

Beetroot, Cheddar and Dill Salad

Quite simply the easiest salad in the world to prepare, very very tasty and healthy. Because your body is a temple!

1 large beetroot
250g mature cheddar
1 small bunch dill
200g watercress washed

METHOD:
Wash and grate beetroot with skin on, roughly chop the dill and slice cheddar into small cubes. Place cheddar and dill in a small bowl and mix together, then you can construct the salad. It is up to you if you want to make individual portions or construct the salad on a large platter. Simply lay watercress as a base and sprinkle the beetroot and cheddar on top and serve.

Slow Roasted Beef and Cherry Capsicum Salad with Strawberry Dressing

Everything in this salad is rather standard apart from the strawberry dressing, you'll find that strawberries aren't too dissimilar to raw cherry tomatoes. You could make a ketchup from strawberries and I bet the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference between tomato or strawberry.
Whats a classic sauce that marries with beef? Tomato! There for strawberries should work just as well, and they do, so why not trust me and make this salad during the weekend.  
 
600g beef shoulder
400g cherry capsicum tomatoes
200g strawberries
200g buffalo mozzarella ball
100g watercress washed
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper

METHOD:
Place beef in baking tray, drizzle over half the olive oil, 250ml warm water, season generously with salt and pepper. Cover tray with foil and place in oven set at 140oC for 3 hours.
Put tomatoes in another baking tray season with salt, pepper and drizzle over remaining half of olive oil and place in oven with beef and cook for 1 and half hours.
Drain mozzarella ball and leave to sit at room temperature to mature and soften. Hull strawberries and place in food processor and blitz into a smooth puree.
Once beef has finished cooking leave to stand for 15 minutes then gently slice thin pieces of beef and place back in the tray with remaining liquid to soak up flavours.
To construct salad you can either make one large platter or individual servings. First lay down some watercress then tear off small pieces of mozzarella, slightly crush tomatoes and place on salad. Drape slices of beef on top of salad and lastly drizzle over the strawberry dressing and serve as soon as possible.
 

Flying Duck Sald with Roast Peaches and Raspberry Sour Cream

Its raspberry and peach season and I invented a savoury version of Peach Melba in the form of a salad. You probably think I've pushed this concept too far but it was honestly the fastest selling salad from last weeks menu. Give it a go and let me know what you and your guinea pigs think?

1 large whole duck
2 teaspoon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
50ml olive oil
60 peaches
50g sliced almonds
100g watercress washed

RASPBERRY SOUR CREAM:
300ml double cream
100g raspberries
1 lemon
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt

METHOD:
Place duck in deep baking tray and pour over 500ml water then drizzle with half the olive oil, half the salt and a good cracking of pepper. Cover tray with foil and bake in oven set at 200oC for 1 hour 30 minutes. In the mean time make sour cream, juice lemon into a bowl and add raspberries, maple and salt, crush together with your hand to make a pulp. Pour in double cream and gently stir together, cover and place in fridge to set.
Cut peaches in half and remove the stone using a teaspoon, lay halved peaches face up on baking tray and drizzle over remaining olive oil, salt and good cracking of pepper. Place peaches in oven with duck and bake for 20 minutes, once cooked put aside and leave to cool.
Warm a small fry pan over medium heat and add almonds, gently stir over heat till they start to turn golden brown then remove from heat and leave to cool.
After duck has cooked for 1 hour 30 minutes remove foil and bake for a further 30 minute. When duck has finished cooking leave to stand and cool for 30 minutes before shredding the meat from carcass.
You can either construct the salad on one large platter or make individual plates. First lay down some watercress followed by tearing peaches over the leaves, drape duck meat over dish. Lastly using a teaspoon drop little bits of sour cream over salad and garnish with toasted almonds.

Heritage Tomato Salad with Sea Purslane and Hedge Garlic

First of the french Heritage Tomatoes have just arrived, though very expensive I couldn't help myself. All winter I've been dreaming of tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes! Not the dreadful grainy, cloudy, watery, pale and almost artificial Tesco's Finest substitute I've had to put up with every week since September.
Also on the market are some wonderful new cress the first is Hedge Garlic which has an extremely peppery taste followed by a intense garlic flavour. However my favourite new discovery is Sea Purslane which is grown in the sea marshes and picked during low tied. Wonderfully salty leaves that actually taste of sea air and pair's nicely with ripe tomatoes and hedge garlic.

800g heritage tomatoes
100g watercress
100g hedge garlic
100g sea purslane
Cracked pepper

DRESSING:
small bunch of basil
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 red jalapeno
1 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
First make the dressing by placing all ingredients into a food processor and blending together for 1 minute, put the dressing to one side and start preparing salad.
Wash watercress, hedge garlic and sea purslane and gently pat dry with a tea towel or paper towels. Pick off the leaves from hedge garlic and sea purslane, discard the stalks. Mix watercress, hedge garlic and sea purslane together in a large bowl. Wash tomatoes and cut into uneven bite sized piece', lay half the green leaves over a platter followed by half the chopped tomatoes and lastly drizzle with the desired amount of dressing and cracked pepper. Repeat the layer and serve as soon as possible.

Raspberry, Savoury Oats, Hazelnut and Red Wine Dressing Salad

Ok you're either thinking I've completely lost it and have an IQ of a teaspoon or I'm a mad genius? Either way you're probably right.
This salad is personally the highlight of last weeks menu visual, unusual mix of flavours, texture, low in calories, full of vitamins and fiber. If you're questioning the combination I'll give you a little run down, raspberries go with hazelnuts, rolled oats and red wine. Watercress goes with red wine and the shallots which are in savoury oats, all flavours are perfectly married and balance.
I must also apologize for not writing any recipes this weekend I had a little accident turns out my mac doesnt like drinking gin and tonic. After trying to get the lightweight fixed I had to trade it in for a new mac. An expensive mistake I wont be repeating again, I've spent most the weekend up dating my fancy new toy and not had the time to write my recipe a day. I'll hopefully catch up later in the week.
Also once again I must thank Etienne for these amazing pictures, make's me emotional just looking at them.


150g raspberries
70g watercress washed
70g hazelnuts

SAVOURY OATS:
150g rolled oats
70g grated cheddar
1 egg
100ml milk
Small handful flat parsley
25g butter
1 shallot
Sea salt and pepper to season

200ml red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 bay leave
4 peppercorns
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
70ml vegetable oil
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water

METHOD:
Start with making savoury oats, peel and dice shallot then place butter in a fry pan and place over a medium heat to melt and add shallots, saute till shallots turn translucent and soft. Roughly chop parsley and place in mixing bowl with oats, cheese, good pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Add onions, milk and egg to the bowl and using your hands mix together till evenly combined. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pour cold water into a small side bowl, wet your hands in the water and start rolling small oat balls and place on baking tray. You should get around 16 balls, bake in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 15 minutes. In a separate baking tray place hazelnuts and using one end of rolling pin roughly bash the nuts so they break in halves, thirds and quarters bake in the oven with savoury oats for 8 minutes.
Next make the dressing, place red wine, vinegar, bay, whole garlic clove, honey and salt in a sauce pan and put over high heat. Bring dressing to the boil and reduce till the liquid turns to a syrup should take around 15-20 minutes, strain the syrup into a large mixing bowl and discard garlic, bay and peppercorns. Add dijon to syrup and using a whisk beat mustard and syrup together then slowly drizzle in vegetable oil while still beating the dressing with whisk. Once vegetable oil is fully incorporated beat in water followed by very slowly drizzling in olive oil while still beating the dressing. The final result should resemble an elastic jelly like substance.
Now its time to construct the salad, lay out half watercress over a large platter followed by a sprinkling of hazelnuts. Evenly arrange half the raspberries and savoury oat balls over salad then using a spoon drop small amount of dressing over the top and repeat layer. Serve as soon as possible.