Belgium-Flemish Hot Pot

Belgium-Flemish Hot Pot

Ingredients:
1.5kg (31/4 lb) flank or brisket, in one piece
1 kg (21/4 lb) carrots
1 kg (21/4 lb) floury potatoes
4 medium onions
salt and pepper

How to cook:

1. Bring 2 litres (72 fl oz) of water to the boil in a large pan, place the piece of beef in it and wait until it boils again. Remove the scum, then add salt, lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour.

2. Now peel the onions, chop them into rough pieces and add to the pan. Peel the carrots, slice across in thick chunks and leave to stand in a basin of cold water. Peel and quarter the potatoes and do the same. After the onions have cooked for an hour drain the carrots and add to the pan. Continue cooking over a low heat. One hour later add the potatoes and cook for another hour. By then the meat should be tender and the stock almost entirely have evaporated. If not, cook for a little longer.

3. When everything is ready, remove the meat from the pot and slice finely, removing the bone and the fatty pieces. Arrange on a serving dish and cover with an aluminium lid to keep hot. If there is some stock left reduce it over a high heat, stirring the vegetables to prevent them from sticking, then mash them with a fork. Season if necessary. Surround the meat with the mashed vegetables and serve.

French-Entrecôte au Beurre Rouge

French-Entrecôte au Beurre Rouge

Ingredients:
1 rib steak, 900g-lkg (2-21/4 lb)
4 shallots
15m1 (1 tbls) wine vinegar
240ml (9 fl oz) red wine: Beaujolais, Cahors, Gigondas, etc
15m1 (1 tbls) oil 100g (4 oz) butter salt and pepper

How to cook:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F; gas mark 6). Heat the oil in a sauté pan, add 20g (1/4 oz) butter and brown the steak for 5 minutes on each side, over a low heat, to avoid burning the butter.
2. When the steak is browned, add salt, place the meat on a rack above a roasting pan and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, according to its thickness and to taste. When the steak is cooked, leave it in the turned-off oven for 10 minutes.
3. 10 minutes before serving the meat, prepare the red butter in the saute pan. Discard the fat from the roasting pan. Peel the shallots, chop them very finely and add them to the pan with the caramelized juices from the meat. Add the vinegar and place the pan over a medium heat. Allow the vinegar to boil until it evaporates, then add the wine and boil over a high heat until only 100ml (31/2 fl oz) remains. Add salt and pepper. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute before adding the butter, cut into small pieces, stirring with a spatula until the mixture is creamy. If the pan is too hot the butter will melt and prevent the mixture becoming creamy.
4. Remove the steak from the oven, cut it into thin slices crosswise, arrange in its original shape on a serving dish and coat with the red butter which has been passed through a strainer.