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Aromatic Swede and Carrots

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This side dish is great when served with a juicy succulent joint of meat – the crunch of the Mustard Seeds coupled with the smooth creamy textures of the Swede and Carrots.
Carrot Swede
You can make the mashing as thorough as you want – ranging from barely breaking it up (a personal favourite) through to making it so smooth you could drink it through a straw (but don’t try to drink it…)

To Serve 4
450g Swede
450g Carrots
Salt and Pepper
25g Butter
1tsp Black Mustard Seeds
2 pieces Preserved Stem Ginger in Syrup, drained

1. Peel and dice the Swede and Carrots into chunks – the smaller the pieces the faster they’ll cook and the easier it will be to mash in into a smooth texture at the end. I’d recommend about two centimetres squared.
2. Bring two pans of lightly salted water to the boil, and cook the Swede and Carrots separately, and cook until they are tender.
3. In a small heavy based saucepan, melt the Butter, and add the Mustard Seeds, cooking until they begin to pop. Chop the Preserved Stem Ginger up, and add to the pan, stirring for a minute over a low heat.
4. Drain the Swede and Carrot very well, tossing in the colander to break them up a little bit. Mash them into the same pan using a Vegetable Mill or Potato Masher, according to how you’d like the texture. Season generously with Pepper, and stir in half of the Mustard and Ginger mixture.
5. Transfer to a serving dish, and pour the remaining Mustard and Ginger mixture over the top, and serve at once.

Photo Courtesy of: nedrichards

Beef Ragout

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Based on a traditional North African dish, this Cous Cous based dish is full of vegetables, and is really simple to make. It’s also quite a fast dish to make, and doesn’t take much looking after.

Beef Ragout

It’s a great dish to have as a dinner when you’re in a rush, as you can easily prepare a lot of the vegetables in advance, or replace a lot of them with other seasonal vegetables – also you can replace with various roasted vegetables, and replace the Cous Cous with a range of sides – Gnocchi, Pasta, or Potaotoes are all great favourites

To Serve 4
1tbsp Oil
450g Beef, Minced or Diced
1 Garlic Clove, Crushed
1 Onion, Quartered
25g Plain Flour
150ml Dry White Wine
150ml Hot Beef Stock
2 Baby Turnips, Peeled and Diced
115g Swede, Peeled and Diced
2 Carrots, Peeled and Diced
2 Courgettes, Peeled and Diced
1tbsp Fresh Coriander, Chopped
1tsp Ground Coriander
225g Cous Cous
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat the Oil in a large Pan, and add the Beef. Fry for five minutes, before draining off three quarter of any juices in the pan.
2. Add the Garlic and Onion to the pan, and cook for a further three minutes.
3. Stir in the flour, and cook for another minute until thickened considerably. Add the Wine and Stock to the pan, and season to taste. Bring to the boil, and keep stirring.
4. Into the pan, add the Vegetables, along with the Fresh and Ground Coriander. Lower the heat, and cook for fifteen minutes with the lid on.
5. Whilst the Saucepan is simmering, place the Cous Cous in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for ten minutes, and then drain and place into a lined steamer or colander. Place the steamer (or colander) above the Saucepan. Steam for thirty more minutes, garnish with Coriander and serve.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz