Beef rendang

This is a classic Malaysian dish - if you haven't had it I urge you to do so. This version is something of a "Delia cheat" in that it utilises "any old red curry paste" though something like this one is probably best. "If you're going to use a paste", I hear you ask, "why not just use a rendang paste?" Well the thinking here is that more people will have a red curry paste in stock opposed to a rendang. If I was being pure I'd offer a recipe including a home made paste but that's long-winded - this does work. Remember this is a dish that makes something special out of a cheap cut of beef by cooking the bejesus out of it for quite a while. This version is a cheat but it isn't quick - you can't do a quick rendang!!

Serves 2 (serve with plain rice and some sort of veg - greens work well)
Gently fry some grated onion (100gr) and crushed garlic - don't brown.
Add 2-3 table spoons of the curry paste and fry a bit longer
Bung in about 500gr of diced stewing beef and brown
Add a tin of coconut milk (about 400ml)
NOW - if you have these things add any/all of them - they will elevate the final result quite a lot
A cinnamon stick or a cassia bark (or 2)
Add a star anise (add 2 be a devil!) (adds a nice aniseed flavour)
Add some dessicated coconut - maybe 75gr (dry fry it first until it goes a bit golden -makes it better)
Add the juice of a lemon/lime (or better still 75ml tamarind juice - from 1tbsp of soaked pulp)
Throw in a lemon grass stick - whack it about first to get the juices loose
Add some kaffir lime leaves (now these are a great aromatic flavour - get frozen ones rather than dried)
Add some fresh chopped chilli

Cook for a long time (1.5 hours - 2.5 hours)  on a VERY low heat, covered (you want that cheap cut of beef to be very very well cooked and really tender) - check that it doesn't dry out once in a while. In the end you want a fairly thick sauce - if it's too wet after 2 hours boil down a bit with the lid off - and as I said - if it's getting too dry just add some water. Depending on the curry paste you used you may need to season with salt and pepper but do this at the end.

Smokey Spanish potatoes with tomato

This is my attempt to make a Spanish version of a Greek dish (roast lemon potatoes).  It's a fantastic way to do potatoes as they come out really creamy with the absorbed olive oil and rich in the flavour of the tomatoes and smoked paprika.

Ingredients:
800gr potatoes (peeled and cut into 2.5cm chunks) (Maris piper is a good type)
400gr chopped tomatoes
6 cloves garlic (bashed a bit and halved)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 bushy sprigs of fresh thyme
100 ml red wine
150 ml olive oil


Preheat oven to 200
Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly and put into a casserole dish
Cover and put in the oven for about 40 minutes
At 40 minutes take out and give it all a stir
Put back in the oven UNCOVERED for about 15-20 minutes
The end result should be well cooked potatoes almost bathing in a rich oily tomatoes sauce.