What's For Dinner Wednesday? Beef & Carrot Ragout

It's 4am here, and as I sit here typing this out my little redheaded friend is sharing the sofa while she watches In The Night Garden. Screaming banshee act started at 1am, nothing would settle her so I figured we'd sit on the couch together instead of the fruitless settling we had been trying. Little feral! She is as happy as larry now, chatting away as I type this out.

Ok so for this weeks' easy as pie Wednesday recipe I have gone for the ultimate in fuss free cooking. Anything involving the slow cooker is perfect when you are tired or busy... or both. Just prep in the morning and throw the lot in and hit start. Your meal is ready in 6-8 hours. Perfect.

image and recipe via taste.com.au

Beef & Carrot Ragout with Pasta

Ingredients (serves 4)

1/4 cup plain flour
1kg gravy beef, cut into 5cm cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large brown onions, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
3 sprigs thyme
3 large carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
cooked pappardelle pasta, to serve

Method

Place flour in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper.

Add beef and shake bag to lightly coat beef in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the beef. C

ook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned. Spoon into slow cooker. Repeat with oil and remaining beef.

Reduce frying pan heat to medium. Add remaining oil and onion to pan. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in wine. Bring to the boil.

Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until wine has reduced by half. Add stock, thyme and carrots. Bring to the boil. Spoon sauce over beef and stir to combine.

Cover and cook in slow cooker on HIGH for up to 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over pasta and serve.

What's for Dinner Wednesday? Glazed Ribs

image credit good housekeeping

When it comes to Asian food my motto is to buy it rather than make it because A.)Here in Sydney we are spoilt with some of the lovely Asian food and B.)It always turns out tastier and cheaper to buy it than make it myself and I hate feeling disappointed when I make my own and it turns out lame.

Today however, I am making a tried and true dish that is extremely quick and easy and perfect for the middle of the week when my cooking mojo is at its dimmest and I have nothing but convenience in mind.

This recipe I stole from the clever people at Good Housekeeping. Give it a whirl if you aren't too much of a bottle sauce snob like I used to be.

Low-and-Slow Ribs with Asian Cuke Salad

(this requires a slow cooker, I have a $39 one from Aldi and it is the bees knees. Beats my $500 Le Creuset whatsy)

Metric friends you will need:

1 1/2 kilos pork spareribs
240 mls teriyaki glaze (use the Kikkoman thick style, it won't burn)
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 shredded carrots ( I actually used a packet of preshredded coleslaw mix from Woolies and ditched the dressing packet)
60 mls seasoned rice vinegar

Imperial friends:

3 1/2 pound(s) pork spareribs
1 cup(s) teriyaki glaze
1 (12 to 14 ounces) English (seedless) cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bag(s) (10 ounces) shredded carrots
1/4 cup(s) seasoned rice vinegar

Instructions

In your slow-cooker bowl, place ribs and teriyaki glaze, spreading teriyaki to coat ribs on all sides. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs on low setting 8 hours or on high setting 4 hours.
In a bowl, stir cucumber, carrots, and rice vinegar, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 4 cups salad.
To serve, transfer ribs to cutting board; cut into portions. Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid. Arrange ribs and salad on dinner plates. Spoon remaining liquid over ribs.

Easy, and you just throw the meat in the slow cooker in the morning and don't even think about it again til dinner time. I love my slow cooker and I love easy recipes.