Halley's Comet? No thanks, just boiled beef and carrots

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 12, 19 August 1986, Page 14

Halley's Comet? No thanks, just boiled beef and carrots

To me the discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the return of Halley's Comet. Today's recipe while not new, looks at an old standard in a new way. One hears a lot today about the so-called "nouvelle cuisine". The essence of the "new" cuisine is fresh ingredients and simple com-

binations that freshen the taste buds. There are very few limits except the limits you create for yourself. More people these days are eating well, and thin people are tossing butter, oil and cream out the window. Nouvelle cuisine food should be light and colourful. Sometimes a combination of old and new can be interesting. Today's example is a

modified old school-day dish that I do from time to time. Boiled Beef and Carrots Have your butcher prepare a piece of rolled topside, about l kg in weight. In a heavy-based pan large enough to fit the joint easily, heat a tablespoon of oil. Put in the beef and let it brown all over, then add two tablespoons of soy sauce.

four tablespoons of dry white wine, two crushed cloves of garlic and a touch of cloves. Cover the pan tightly and simmer slowly on top of your stove. After an hour. add a tablespoon of sugar and lots of fresh pepper. Cook again on a slow heat for about an hour. Remove the beef and let it rest for a while. Turn the heat up high, and boil the sauce to reduced consistency. Meanwhile peel two large carrots, slice into rounds, and steam until just tender. In a small heavy-based pan melt some butter and when it is foaming, add a dessertspoon of lemon juice and somegrainmustard. Simmer for five minutes, then add carrots to the mix and toss well. To serve, slice the beef reasonably thickly and spoon on a small quantity of the reduced sauce. Arrange the carrots attractively around the beef and garnish with spring onions. This should be enough to feed six hungry people with something really yummy. In these days of standardisation. plastic packaging and so-called conveniencefoods, it is nice to find a recipe that is uncomplicated and relatively easy to prepare, yet scrumptious to eat.