A cooking speed for our times

For the past decade virtually every cookbook, food magazine and cookery article I picked up was concentrating on meals in minutes and assuring us we could whip up delicious food in a flash.

It is possible if you keep a well stocked larder and concentrate on prime cuts of meat and fresh fish. A fresh catch or a prime steak will be off the pan or grill in minutes. Sizzling herb butter or a little salsa and a green salad (and a spud of some sort, Ireland being Ireland) is all that’s needed to create a feast. The result of the emphasis on fast food is that many people have forgotten the virtues of slow cooking. The word slow is enough for most people’s eyes to glaze over but don’t be put off; slow cooking takes time — but not your time. In these challenging times it’s worth relearning the skills, not least because when there’s a wintery feel to the air a slow cooked stew is one of the few foods that really hits the spot. One can transform cheap cuts of meat into something fit for a king.

Root vegetables are at their best right now. They will have more flavour and keep longer if you eschew washed ones and buy them still covered with clay at your local shop or farmers’ market.

Start the stew or casserole with big chunks of fat streaky bacon: the fatter it is the less expensive it will be and the better the flavour. When the bacon crisps and the fat renders out keep it aside while the chunks of onion are cooked slowly at a low temperature until they turn pale amber. The other vegetables can then be added. The chunks of meat need to be browned gently on all sides on a separate pan and added to the pot. Deglaze the pan with a little stock or a dash of wine to dissolve the caramelised meat juices. Dried wild mushrooms also add a delicious woodsy flavour. Root vegetables are the cheapest way to introduce an earthy sweetness and bulk.

The other bonus of mastering slow cooking is that it can be fitted into your work schedule. A pot of shin of beef or shoulder of venison will cook gently in the coolest oven. If you pop it in as you leave for work in the morning, it will be meltingly tender on your return in the evening.

Here are a few of my favourite slow-cooked meals. Serve them with a great big bowl of fluffy mash, scallion champ or colcannon.

Venison Stew

Shoulder of venison is best for slow cooking. Allow time for marinating, and remember that fat salt pork or fat green bacon is essential either for cooking in with the meat (stew) or for larding (roasting or braising), unless the meat has been well hung.

Serves 8

3 lbs (1.3kg) shoulder of venison, trimmed and diced — 1½ inches/4cm

Marinade

10-12 fl ozs (300-350ml) red wine

1 medium onion, sliced

3 tablespoons brandy

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, lightly crushed black pepper

bouquet garni

seasoned flour

Sauce

8 oz (225g) fat salt pork or green streaky bacon, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1 large clove garlic, crushed

¾ pint (450ml) beef or venison stock

bouquet garni

24 small mushrooms, preferably wild ones

extra butter

lemon juice or redcurrant jelly

salt, pepper and sugar

Season venison well and soak in the marinade ingredients for 24-48 hours. Drain meat well, pat it dry and turn in seasoned flour.

Meanwhile, brown the pork or bacon in olive oil in a frying pan cooking it slowly at first to persuade the fat to run, then raising the heat. Transfer to a casserole.

In the fat, brown the venison and then the onion, carrot and garlic, do all this in batches, transferring each one to the casserole. Do not overheat or the fat will burn.

Pour off any surplus fat, de-glaze the pan with the strained marinade and pour over the venison. Heat up enough stock to cover the items in the casserole and pour it over them.

Put in the bouquet garni, bring to a gentle simmer, either on top of the stove or in the oven, preheated to 150°C/300°F/regulo 2. Cover closely and leave until the venison is tender.

Test after 1½ hours, but allow 2½ hours cooking time. For best results, it is wise to cook this kind of dish one day and then reheat the next; this improves the flavour and gives you a chance to make sure the venison is tender.

Saute the sliced mushrooms in butter. Season with salt and pepper and add to the stew.

Finally taste the venison sauce, it will need seasoning and perhaps a little sharpening, use a spot of raspberry vinegar or lemon juice. It also sometimes benefits from a pinch of sugar or some redcurrant jelly (be careful not to use too much.)

Serve with baked potatoes and perhaps a green vegetable: eg brussels sprouts, calabrese or cabbage.

Slow cooked lamb shanks with haricot beans, tomato and lots of fresh herbs

Lamb shanks can be from the back leg or the shoulder. Choose one or the other so they cook evenly, the latter takes much longer to cook. Gutsy herbs like rosemary or thyme are a brilliant accompaniment, as are beans, lentils or a robust mash with added root vegetables or kale.

Serves 8

8 lamb shanks

8 small sprigs of rosemary

8 slivers garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

25g (1 oz) goose fat, duck fat or olive oil

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 leek, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, bruised

150ml (5fl oz) good red wine

150ml (5fl oz) chicken or lamb stock

1 sprig of thyme

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 bay leaves

2 strips of dried orange peel

Haricot Beans and Tomatoes

225g (8oz) streaky bacon, cut into lardons and blanched

Tomato Fondue (see recipe on page 22)

2 x 400g (14oz) tin haricot beans, drained or cannellini beans

Garnish

Lots of flat parsley, coriander, mint and chives.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Make an incision in each lamb shank and insert a sprig of rosemary or thyme and a sliver of garlic. Season with salt and black pepper.

Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan or casserole and sauté the meat in it until well browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan. Add carrots, celery, leek, onion and garlic and cook over a high heat until it starts to brown. Add the wine to the pan and bring to the boil and bubble for a minute or two. Add the chicken stock, herbs and orange peel to the pan, then arrange the lamb shanks on top, bones pointing upwards. Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ — 2½ hours depending on size. The meat should be almost falling off the bones.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and brown the bacon in it until golden and fully cooked, add the tomato fondue and the haricot beans. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

When the lamb has finished cooking, remove the lamb shanks to a deep wide serving dish. Strain the liquid and press to extract all the delicious juices. Discard the vegetables which have by now contributed their flavour. Return the juices to the pan and cook to reduce and concentrate. Meanwhile, reheat the beans. Add the concentrated juices. Taste and correct the seasoning. Spoon the beans over the lamb shanks and scatter with a fistful of roughly chopped herbs.

Shin of beef and oxtail stew

Serves 6

In season: all year, but best in autumn and winter

Oxtail makes an extraordinary rich and flavoursome winter stew, considering how cheap it is. This is another humble dish, which has recently been resurrected by trendy chefs who are capitalising on their customer’snostalgic craving for their gran’s cooking.

2 whole oxtails

450g (1lb) shin of beef or stewing beef (cut into 1½ inch (4cm) cubes 110g (4oz) streaky bacon

30g (1oz) beef dripping or 2 tablespoons olive oil

225g (8oz) finely-chopped onion

225g (8oz) carrots, cut into 2cm (¾ inch/2cm) cubes

55g (2oz) chopped celery

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 bay leaf,

1 sprig of thyme and parsley stalks

salt and freshly ground pepper

150ml (¼ pint) red wine

450ml (¾pint) homemade beef stock or 600ml (1 pint) all beef stock

170g (6oz) mushrooms (sliced)

15g (½oz) roux 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

First cut the oxtail into pieces through the natural joints — the joints are made of cartilage so you won’t need a saw. If this seems like too much of a challenge, ask your butcher to disjoint the oxtail for you.

Cut the bacon into 1 inch (2.5cm) cubes. Heat the dripping or olive oil in a frying pan, add the bacon and sauté for 1-2 minutes, add the vegetables, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer into a casserole. Add the beef and oxtail pieces to the pan, a few at a time and continue to cook until the meat is beginning to brown. Add to the casserole.

Add the wine and a ¼ pint (½ cup) of stock to the pan. Bring to the boil and use a whisk to dissolve the caramelised meat juices form the pan, bring to the boil.

Add to the casserole with the herbs, stock and tomato puree. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cover and cook either on top of the stove or in a preheated oven 160°C/325°F/regulo3 very gently for 2-3 hours, or until very tender.

Meanwhile, cook the sliced mushrooms in a hot frying pan in a little butter for 2-3 minutes. Stir into the oxtail stew and cook for about five minutes. Transfer the beef and oxtail to a hot serving dish and keep warm. Remove and discard herb stalks.

Bring the liquid back the boil, whisk in a little roux and cook until slightly thickened. Add back in the meat and chopped parsley. Bring to the boil, taste and correct the seasoning. Serve in the hot serving dish with lots of champ or colcannon.

Tomato Fondue

Tomato fondue is one of our great convertibles. We serve it as a vegetable or a sauce for pasta, filling for omelettes, topping for pizza.

Serves 6 approximately

230g (8ozs) sliced onions

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1.8 kg (4lbs) very ripe tomatoes in summer, or 4 ½ tins (x 28oz) of tomatoes in winter, but peel before using

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste

2 tablespoons of any of the following; freshly chopped mint, thyme, parsley, lemon balm, marjoram or torn basil

Heat the oil in a non-reactive saucepan. Add the sliced onions and garlic, toss until coated, cover and sweat on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured. It is vital the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added. Slice the fresh or tinned tomatoes and add with the juice to the onions. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity). Add a generous sprinkling of herbs. Cook uncovered for just 10-20 minutes more, or until the tomato softens. Cook fresh tomatoes for a shorter time to preserve the flavour. Tinned tomatoes need to be cooked for longer depending on whether one wants to use the fondue as a vegetable, sauce or filling. Note: A few drops of Balsamic vinegar at the end enhances the flavour.

Slow-roasted shoulder of pork with fennel seeds

Serves 8 — 10

Shoulder of pork is best for this long slow cooking method, as the meat is layered with fat which slowly melts away, try to find a traditional breed, eg Gloucester Old Spot, Saddleback, Black Berkshire or Middle White. We also slow roast shoulder of lamb which is succulent and juicy.

1 whole shoulder of free-range pork, with skin, about 2.75-3.25 kg (7-8 lb) in weight

8 garlic cloves, peeled

30 g (1 oz) fennel seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas 8. Using a small sharp knife, score the rind of the shoulder with deep cuts about 5 mm (1/4’) wide.

Peel and crush the garlic with the fennel seeds, then mix with salt, pepper and chilli flakes to taste. Push this mixture into the cuts, over the rind and on the surface of the meat. Place the shoulder on a rack in a roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes or until the skin begins to blister and brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 150ºC/325ºF/Gas 3, and leave the meat to roast for 5-6 hours or more until it is completely soft under the crisp skin. The meat will give way and will almost fall off the bone. Serve each person some crisp skin and some chunks of meat cut from different parts of the shoulder.

Loin and streaky pork is also delicious cooked in this way but it will take a shorter cooking time.

Scallion Champ

Serves 4-6

A bowl of mashed potatoes flecked with green scallions and a blob of butter melting in the centre is comfort food at its best.

1.5kg (3lb) 6-8 'old' potatoes eg Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks

110g (4oz) chopped scallions or spring onions (use the bulb and green stem) or 45g chopped chives

350ml (10-12fl oz) milk

50-110g (2-4oz) butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Scrub the potatoes and boil in jackets. Finely chop the scallions, spring onions or chives. Cover with cold milk and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat and leave to infuse. Peel and mash the freshly boiled potatoes and while hot, mix with the boiling milk and onions, beat in the butter. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in one large or six individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in the centre. Scallion mash may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/regulo 4. Cover with tin foil while it reheats.

Hot tip

* Tannery Cookery School

Fans of Paul Flynn of the Tannery restaurant in Dungarvan (of which I certainly am one) will be delighted to hear that his long-awaited Tannery Cookery School is now open. For details www.tannery.ie or tel [phone] / email: [e-mail]

* Good Things Café andCookery School

The Good Things Café and Cookery School in Durrus, west Cork has also published its enticing list of courses for 2009. www.thegoodthingscafe.com 027 61426

If you’d like to know what treats are coming up at the Ballymaloe Cookery School have a browse through www.cookingisfun.ie tel. [phone]

* Slow Food

The Slow Food Movement is a global eco-gastronomy organisation whose philosophy is influencing government food policy in 153 countries world wide. A gift membership is a perfect present for anyone interested in good food and food production issues www.slowfoodireland.com or tel [phone].

Thrifty Tip

Look for a slow cooker in the New Year sales. Put the ingredients into the pot first thing in the morning and when you get home from work just lift the lid, inhale the aroma and enjoy the meltingly tender feast.