Hairy Bikers’ Best of British episode 16 – Slow Food: Convenience food serves a purpose but if you want something truly delicious it’s worth searching out the best ingredients and cooking them to perfection – however long it may take.
The bikers continue their culinary journey through time as they celebrate British food.
David Myers and Si King collectively known as the Hairy Bikers, are British television chefs. They have presented a range of television shows that combine cooking with the travelogue format, mostly for the BBC but also for the now-defunct Good Food channel. They have also produced a range of cookery books published to accompany their various television series.
Myers and King have known each other since the 1990s, with both having backgrounds in television production. Their first appearance on UK television was as presenters of The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook, which began on the BBC in 2004 and continued for four series.
The followed this with The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain, The Hairy Bikers’ Mums Know Best, Hairy Bikers’ Meals on Wheels, Hairy Bikers’ Best of British, The Hairy Bikers’ Bakeation, Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight, The Hairy Bikers’ Asian Adventure, The Hairy Bikers’ Northern Exposure and The Hairy Bikers’ Pubs That Built Britain for BBC Two, and The Hairy Bikers’ Mississippi Adventure for Good Food.
Hairy Bikers’ Best of British episode 16 – Slow Food
Braised feather blade beef
Prepare yourself for a posh, braised steak. It tastes so good that guests will think you’ve been slaving away for hours.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 3.
- Season the beef on both sides with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. Fry the steak pieces over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each sides, or until browned. Transfer the beef pieces to a casserole dish. (You may need to do this in batches.)
- Return the frying pan to the hob and reduce the heat. Add the remaining oil and gently fry the shallots, celery and carrots for 6-8 minutes or until golden-brown and softened. Stir in the garlic, cook for a further minute and add the mixture to the casserole.
- Deglaze the pan with wine and allow to bubble for a few seconds, stirring constantly and pour over the meat and vegetables. Stir the stock and the tomato purée. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and scatter into the pan, add the bay leaf and mustard and stir until well combined. Bring to the boil and remove the dish from the heat.
- Cover the surface of meat and liquid carefully with a piece of greaseproof paper. Place a lid on top and cook in the oven for 3-3½ hours or until the beef is very tender. Skim any fat away from the surface that appears during cooking.
- Transfer the meat to a plate. Strain the cooking liquor and vegetables through a sieve into a large non-stick frying pan. Press the vegetables with the bottom of a ladle to extract a rich purée and stir into the cooking liquor. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce is well reduced, thick and glossy. Add the beef to the liquid and heat through for 3-4 minutes, spooning over the sauce to glaze. Serve with some green vegetables and mashed potatoes.
Mutton saag recipe in Hairy Bikers’ Best of British episode 16
This recipe works well with big flavours and complements the iron-rich spinach in this tasty curry recipe.
Method
- Heat three tablspoons of the sunflower oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and cook the onions gently for 20 minutes, or until softened and golden-brown.
- Meanwhile place the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar and pound lightly to split the pods. Tip onto a board and open each pod, scraping the seeds back into the mortar. Add the cumin, mustard seeds and cinnamon stick and grind into a fine, dry powder.
- Remove half of the onions and transfer to a plate. Return the pan to the heat and stir in chillies and garlic and cook for three minutes. Add the ground spices, ground coriander and turmeric and fry, stirring constantly, for two minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
Method part 2
- Add 300g/10z spinach to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, scrape into a heatproof bowl and set aside to cool.
- Return the pan to the heat and add one tablespoon of oil. Season the mutton all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry the mutton over a medium-high heat in 2-3 batches until nicely browned on all sides, adding a little more oil if necessary. As soon as one batch is browned, transfer to a medium flame-proof casserole while the rest is fried.
- Transfer the spiced onions and spinach to a food processor and blend to a thick green paste. Stir into the casserole dish with the lamb and add the bay leaf, tomato purée and 800ml/1⅓ pints cold water. Season with a teaspoon of sea salt flakes, stir well and bring to a simmer.
- Remove from the heat and cover the surface of the curry with a piece of crumpled baking parchment. Place a lid on top of the casserole and cook in the oven for 2½-3 hours or until the mutton is very tender and the sauce is thick.
- Stir in the reserved onions and the remaining spinach. Cover with the lid and return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes or until the onions are hot and the spinach has wilted. Serve with rice or warm naan bread.