`HOW weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all
the uses of this world,' or in other words I am completely struck down with flu for the first time in 20 years, feel ghastly and can't get it together too well so please bear with me. The idea of food simply does not figure, all I seem to want is gallons of water (very unlike me) and some fruit pastilles left over from Little Dorrit which have been a great comfort to me. Bovril is a comfort but nothing else. I have a friend going on 60 who at the first sign that all is not well with the body goes straight to bed with toast and honey and all the Beatrix Potter books. That's his com- fort, perhaps we all have our own.
As I am not up to anything inventive I shall give you a couple of good wintry receipts that were contained in a dear little book advertising Le Creuset ware years ago given by Madam David.
Shin of beef stewed in red wine
21/2 lbs shin of beef (fat and skin removed) 4 oz fat salt pork or bacon (in one piece) Olive oil 1 large onion 2 cloves of garlic Thyme and bayleaf 2 tablespoons of plain flour ih pint of red wine Vz pint of meat stock Salt and pepper
I love shin of beef for stews, it is after all Ossobuco grown up and produces that lovely sticky, slightly gelatinous texture and has a splendid flavour (real beef tea for instance). Cut the salt pork into cubes leaving the rind on. If using bacon remove rind. Put the cubes and two tablespoons of olive oil into a casserole that will hold all the ingredients, heat gently until the fat starts oozing then add the sliced onion letting it slowly take colour. Cut the meat in good size strips, season with salt and fresh ground pepper and sprinkle with the flour. Put the meat into the casserole mixing well with the onion and pork. Heat the wine in a saucepan then pour it bubbling over the meat. Boil fiercely for a moment. Add the meat stock. Place the bayleaf, sprigs of thyme and crushed garlic cloves in the middle of the meat, cover the pot and place in a preheated low oven Gas 1, F290, C143 for about three hours or you can cook it for half the time one day and finish if off the next if more convenient. Just before serving taste for seasoning and leave to bubble on top of the stove to reduce the sauce a little. Serve with potato purée. An alternative method for the stew, is to use instead of the wine and stock, a couple of tablespoons each of port and mushroom ketchup and half a pint of stout, also the addition of half a pound of chopped-up ox kidney with the meat. Otherwise make a: Casserole of kidney and mushrooms 1 lb of ox kidney
2 tablespoons of plain flour 3 oz of butter
8 fluid oz of port or red wine (or mixed) 1/21b of mushrooms
Mustard, salt and pepper
Put the kidney to soak in a bowl of warm, slightly salted water for at least 30 minutes or over night or day if so it suits you. Drain the kidney, pat dry with some kitchen towel then cut into slices a quarter of an inch thick. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper and the flour. Melt the butter in a suitably sized casserole, put in the kidneys. Cook very gently for five minutes stirring them round the pan. Little by little add the port or wine, let it come to simmering point then let it bubble for a minute. Cover and place in a pre-heated low oven Gas 1, F290, C143 for an hour. At this stage add the mushrooms, wiped clean but left whole. Return to the oven for a further half-hour.
Just before serving, make some strong English mustard and stir a dessert spoonful into the kidney dish. Serve with good mashed potatoes flavoured with a scrap of lemon peel or with plain boiled rice.
Both these dishes can be started the day before but don't buy or use the mushrooms until the last moment necessary.
I trust none of you will get this wretched flu but if you do I have discovered a new pastille which seems very efficacious for a honking cough, especially if kept stuck to the top palate over night. They are called Hill's Bronchial Balsam Pastilles and re- joice in the legend 'PLEASANT — BUT REALLY POTENT'. I'm hooked.
Jennifer Paterson
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