Afghan-Aush (Noodles with Pulses, Meat and Yoghurt)

Afghan-Aush (Noodles with Pulses, Meat and Yoghurt)

Ingredients:
Aush Dough
* 2 c Plain flour
* 1 ts Salt
* 2/3 c Cold water
* Additional flour

Pules and Noodle Mixture
* 1/2 c Yellow split peas - (daul nakhud)
* Cold water
* 1 c Canned kidney beans w/liquid
* Salt
* 1 tb Oil
* 2 c Finely chopped spinach

Meat Sauce
* 1/2 c Oil
* 1 Medium onion; finely chopped
* 750 g Ground lamb or beef
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1/2 c Tomato puree
* 1/2 c Water

Chakah(Yogurt Sauce)
* 1 1/2 c Drained yogurt
* 3 ts Dried mint; rubbed
* 1/4 ts Hot chili pepper (or more)
* 1/4 c Finely chopped coriander
* Salt to taste

How to cook:
Sift flour and salt into a bowl, add water and mix to a firm dough, adding more flour if necessary. Divide into 2 balls and wrap in plastic. Rest for 30 minutes.
On a floured board roll out each ball of dough very thinly. Cut into 5 mm (1/4-inch) strips either while it is flat or by rolling up each sheet of dough and slicing with a sharp knife. Place noodles on a floured cloth, dust with flour and leave to dry for about 30 minutes.

Wash split peas well and place in a pan with 1-1/2 cups cold water. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 30 minutes or until tender. Add red beans and liquid and keep warm. In a large pot bring 8 cups water to the boil, add 2 teaspoons salt, oil and noodles. Put noodles in gradually, stirring after each addition. Return to the boil and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for further 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pot. Add split peas and bean mixture with its liquid, toss ingredients lightly and keep hot over low heat.

In a frying pan heat the 1/2 cup oil, fry onion until soft and add ground meat. Stir over high heat until juices evaporate and meat browns lightly. Add salt and pepper to taste, tomato puree, spices and water, cover and simmer 10 minutes, then remove cover and let moisture evaporate. Sauce should be oily. Combine chakah ingredients, add to noodles and toss well. Mixture should be moist. Place noodle mixture in a deep dish and top with keema. Stir at the table and serve in deep plates.

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-Boeuf Bourguignon

French-Boeuf Bourguignon

Ingredients:
1.8kg (4 lb) beef: 1/3 rump,
1/3 silverside, 1/3 chuck
1 litre (13/4 pints) red Burgundy wine
250g (9 oz) bacon
36 small onions
36 small button mushrooms
30ml (2 tbls) mare or cognac
10ml (2 tsp) cornflour or
arrowroot
50g (2 oz) butter
15ml (1 tbls) oil juice of 1/2 lemon salt and pepper

How to cook:

1. Peel the onions. Cut the bacon into sticks 1cm (1/2 inch) across. Cut the meat into cubes 4cm (11/2 inches) square, and season.

2. Bring to the boil 2 litres (3 1/2 pints) water in a saucepan, immerse the bacon sticks and blanch for 5 minutes, drain.

3. Heat the oil in a large stewpan and lightly brown the bacon sticks over a low heat for about 8 minutes, till the bacon fat is transparent. Remove with a skimmer and put aside in a bowl.

4. Add 20g (3/4 oz) butter to the pan and add the onions. Lightly brown over a low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove with a skimmer and add to the bacon.

5. Add several of the cubes of beef to the pan and brown lightly (about 5 minutes), then remove and put aside. Repeat until all the meat is browned. Then discard the fat from cooking and pour the wine into the pan while scraping up the crusty bits with a spatula. Bring the wine to the boil, set alight, and when the flame is extinguished, return the beef to the pan. Bring back to the boil, cover and simmer over a very low heat, without boiling, for about 4 hours.

6. After 3 hours, add the bacon sticks and onions. Trim the earthy base off the mushrooms, wash, wipe and place in a saute pan with the lemon juice and the remainder of the butter. Brown over a high heat until they give out no more liquid and are lightly browned, then add the mushrooms and their juices to the stew.

7. After about 4 hours, when the meat is almost tender, pour the contents of the stewpan into a saucepan through a strainer. Return the contents of the strainer to the stewpan and cover. Allow the sauce to stand for 5 minutes, then skim off the fat with a spoon.

8. Dilute the cornflour or arrowroot with 30ml (2 tbls) cold water and pour the mixture into the saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. Bring the sauce to the boil, then heat the mare or cognac in a small saucepan, set alight and add to the sauce. Boil over a high heat until the sauce thickens enough to coat the spoon and reduce until just enough is left to cover the pieces of meat (5 to 10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste, pour into the stewpan and simmer for 10 minutes, then serve immediately.

Boeuf Bourguignon should be served very hot on hot plates, accompanied by steamed or gratineed potatoes. This dish is best when prepared with a large quantity of meat and better still when reheated: so prepare two meals at once, one to serve tonight and one to refrigerate.