BEEF RENDANG

We come back to Asia. We will cook a delicious Rendang. A curry-like dish popular in Indonesia and Malaysia. We will need time to cook it and we will have to do it slowly but the result is great.
In fact Rendang is not a curry. The secret of Rendang is to cook it slowly and get rid off most of the liquid.
Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons flake unsweetened coconut
½ pound beef, cut into little cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup chopped onion or shallot
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 dried red chilli peppers
1 tablespoon lemon grass (from a tube, or use fresh if you can get it)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
Some salt, to taste
3 cloves
½ cinnamon stick
1 cup coconut milk
Some water

First we will dry-roast the flake unsweetened coconut in a wok. We will stir continuously being careful so that we do not burn the coconut. When the coconut is golden brown, we will reserve the coconut.
Next we will take a food processor and we will blend the onion or shallot, the ginger, the garlic, the chilli peppers and the lemon grass. We must get a paste. We will reserve it.
Now we will grind the cumin, the fennel, the coriander and the nutmeg in a mortar.
And now we will take the wok and we will start cooking the paste from the food processor. You do not need to use too much oil. In a couple of minutes we can add the spices from the mortar. It is important to be stirring continuously. Cook for three minutes. Then, we will add the beef and let it cook for some minutes over medium heat till it gets browned. Now we will add the sugar, the cloves, the cinnamon stick, the coconut milk and the roasted coconut. We will bring to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer. We can add some water if we see that the beef needs it to be cooked properly. Our Beef Rendang will be ready when the beef is tender and the liquid is almost gone. It is a slow process, give it one hour at least. Remember we must be simmering it. You can serve it with some rice and steamed vegetables. Really good.

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BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

A delicious surprise for me. This is one of my favourite American recipes. I have to admit that I was not a broccoli lover. But now, I find it good. This recipe is wonderful. I discovered it as a side in a Southern restaurant and then, of course, I had to try to make it. And it is good, and not very difficult indeed. It is delicious. I love these American casseroles.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
2 cups broccoli
1 cup celery
1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 10.5 oz can cream of celery soup
1 tablespoon butter
1 green onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Some salt to taste
Some Cheddar cheese

As we are using broccoli, the procedure will be different depending on if you use fresh or frozen broccoli. If you use it fresh, you will have to cook it longer. I normally use frozen broccoli, it is really good. But of course, you can have it fresh.
First I boil the broccoli, cut in little pieces. I also boil the celery, cut in little pieces as well, as I use it frozen too. Once this is ready I remove the water and reserve.
You will also have to prepare the rice. You can prepare it the way you normally use. Once this is done, reserve.
And now we will take a big pan and heat the butter. We will cook the green onion cut in little pieces. We will add the garlic later. If you use fresh celery, you should fry it now along with the green onion and the garlic.
Now we will add the contents of the two cans to the pan, the cream of mushroom soup and the cream of celery soup. We will let it cook for a while and then we will add the Cheddar cheese. We will stir continuously and when the cheese is melted, we can add the rice and the broccoli, and the celery in case you have boiled it with the broccoli. Mix well. We can taste it and add some pepper and salt to taste.
You can serve it like this but you can also put the contents in another container suitable for the oven. If you do this, after having moved the Broccoli Casserole to this new container, spread some more cheese over it and bring it to a preheated oven to 350ºF until the cheese melts. And enjoy. It is a delicious side but you can also eat it as your main course.

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