Tomato and Beef Stew

Slow cooked food is good. I love a dish that requires an hour or so to cook. Just a pity I hardly ever have the time to wait that long.

Occasionally I find the time to make a stew and it is always so satisfying.

To tell you the truth I don't follow any recipe. I simply brown cubes of beef for a few minutes and then I add whatever vegetables I find in the fridge. Potatoes, carrots, onions, courgette, fennel and of course a can or two of chopped tomatoes. Some seasoning and a cup of beef stock also seems to go quite well with the whole stewing process.

Let it all simmer away for about an hour (more if you have the time) and don't forget to stir occasionally  you know, just to make sure you don't burn anything!

Serve it up with some basmati rice and enjoy the warm comfort that only a stew can provide.

Steak and Fries

We do not eat red meat often.
In fact, I think we eat red meat once a month...
But I just felt like having a steak and fries dinner, you know?

I made the fries myself, peeling them one by one and cutting matchstick size potato pieces. Well, not quite matchstick but thin enough to my liking.

We do not own a deep fat fryer And I swore we will never get one. So I heated up some vegetable oil in a pan, about 2 cm deep and fried up my lovely little chips.

The steaks went onto the griddle pan and I made my usual green salad.
It seems to me that a meal is not quite complete without a side salad.
Steak, fries and a salad. A very satisfying combination.

Restaurant Vuur in Baarn

This restaurant makes the best steak I have ever had in the Netherlands.
It is melt in your mouth good.
Soft and tender.
Perfect.

We were actually on our way to the pancake restaurant but it was so full that we had to find something else. Restaurant Vuur was nearby so we stopped.

It is located next to the Kasteel De Hooge Vuursche, which is beautiful but unfortunately only used for weddings and private parties.

I was a little worried when I noticed that most people were dressed quite smartly, and when I opened the menu I realized why... it is pretty pricey.

But when our food arrived we were very pleasantly surprised. The service was really good and the plate was dressed beautifully. We first received some bread with olives and nuts, followed by an amuse-bouche and then perfect steaks with herb butter, a vegetable skewer and potatoes.

Delicious.

One thing to note is that they do not really cater for small children. And by small I mean under 2. They did not have a baby chair. It's not the end of the world, just a little inconvenient.

We are already planning our next visit to this restaurant, without the kids of course ;-)

Steak roll with potatoes

Shock! Horror! Steak roll for dinner!
Yes, occasionally I just cannot resist making something 'non-vegetarian' for me and Heidi.
Of course I made vegetarian burgers for my husband - the man has extreme will power and is sticking to his vegetarian guns.

Ingredients:
4 minute steaks
500 gram peeled and quartered potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
One tomato
One white onion
One container white button mushrooms (1.5 cups or so when sliced)
Pumpkin seed bread rolls
1 tablespoon vegetable margarine
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Chives
Seasoning

Method:
Switch on the oven to about 200 degrees Celsius.
Toss the potatoes in a tablespoon of oil and season, then add to the oven to roast for about 30 - 40 minutes. (I always try to make sure that the potato pieces are about the same size and not too big, that way they cook evenly and quicker)
Add the sliced mushrooms to a pan with some seasoning and a dash of white wine vinegar. Saute for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are ready.
Slice the onion into quite thick slices so that it can be grilled easily.
Heat up the griddle pan and grill the onions until slightly softened.
Now add the minute steaks to the griddle pan and grill for a couple of minutes each side (or less depending on how you like your meat! )
Slice the bread rolls in half and spread a little margarine on each side. Then place on the the griddle pan margarine side facing down. Grill for a minute.
Slice the tomato in thick slices.
Place the rolls on a plate and dress with all the ingredients - tomato, onion, minute steak and mushrooms.
Dish the potatoes onto the place and lastly cut some chives over the mushrooms.
Add any seasoning and sauces you like and enjoy!