Four seasons cookery books

The main event during the winter season is Christmas and if you have family and friends to stay during that time you do not want to be slaving away in the kitchen. By following the pre-Christmas pre- paration plan on page 83, and freezing the fare beforehand you will be able to relax and enjoy your Christmas entertaining. - Beef ragout with sweetcorn Imperial/Metric 1% Ib./Z kg. chuck steak 1 tablespoon dripping or lard 2 medium onions, chopped 4 medium carrots, chopped 1 tablespoon flour 1 pint/6 fl. hot beef stock 2 teaspoons tomato purée 1 clove garlic salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 4 0z./100 g. frozen sweet- corn. \ YY nt American 13 Ib. chuck steak 1 tablespoon dripping or lard 2 medium onions, chopped 4 medium carrots, chopped 1 tablespoon flour 2> cups hot beef broth 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 clove garlic salt and pepper 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1 cup frozen kernel corn Trim the meat and cut it into large cubes. Melt the dripping in a flameproof cas- serole and fry the cubes of meat briskly until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and add the prepared vegetables to the casserole. Fry slowly until the vege- tables begin to colour. Pour away the sur- plus fat, to leave about 1 tablespoon in the casserole. Add the flour and stir well, scraping the bottom of the casserole. Add the stock, tomato purée, garlic (crushed with 1 teaspoon salt), seasoning, bay leaf and meat. Bring to the boil, stirring, then cover with the lid and simmer for 15-2 hours, until the meat is tender. Add sweetcorn and parsley for last 10 minutes. Alternatively, the ragotut may be cooked in a moderate oven (350°F, 180°C, Gas Mark 4). Stir in the chopped parsley and serve hot. To freeze: Cool, cover surface with freezer film, cover with the lid, and label. When frozen, remove casserole lid. (If preferred, transfer the ragott to a poly- thene container, seal and label.) To serve: Remove freezer film. Reheat, from the frozen state, in a moderate oven (350°R;, 180°C, Gas Mark 4)" for 245 minutes—1 hour. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serves 6. (The Pyroflam casserole shown in the picture opposite can be taken straight from the freezer to the oven without any danger of it cracking.) 81 82 Reorganising ready for Christmas At Christmas, and other times during the year, when you will be called upon to do some special catering, possibly for a large number, your freezer will be worth its weight in gold. A certain amount of pre-planning is necessary in order to ensure that the Christmas entertaining will go off without a hitch, but it is time well spent and will leave you free to enjoy the company of your guests without being reduced to a state of nervous exhaustion. Go through your freezer log and make a note of all the items (in- cluding blanched and non-blanched vegetables, made-up dishes— sweet and savoury—cakes, bread and scones) which have been in the freezer for the last 9-12 months, and endeavour to plan your menus for the next few weeks with those foods in mind. Decide what you will need for Christmas in the way of made-up dishes. Look out any special recipes and start to make detailed shopping and preparation lists. Defrosting the freezer: When the stocks in your freezer are reasonably low is the time to defrost it. (Naturally, the best time is when the freezer is completely empty, but that is a counsel of perfection.)