Beef Stamna

This is a fantastic slow cooked Greek beef stew which I came across during my couple of seasons in Corfu some decade ago and is so hearty and comforting as a dish - it is like a hug in a bowl. 

I've played around with this quite a bit as there aren't a mass of recipes available online for it - the basis comes from this Mamtas Kitchen recipe but I have tinkered with it quite a bit - depending on my family's tastes and preferences, what I've had in stock and most importantly, how I remember it from Corfu myself.

It can also be made with lamb if you prefer, but I've only ever had it with beef and don't be alarmed by the large amount of cinnamon - by the time it has cooked out, it's just really aromatic and flavoursome. I prefer the consistency using white wine, rather than red too, but feel free to experiment. I also transfer the slow cooker dish to the oven to melt the cheese - and last week we had the Stamna a day after cooking - and it seemed even better than normal, so is a great batch cook idea. 

You can also cook this in an ordinary casserole dish in the oven at a very low heat of around 140 degrees for several hours.

Traditionally you would find this dish served individually in earthenware dishes which remain very hot - I always make a family sized dish, and dish up individually into cold bowls - which helps prevent burning little ones' mouths.

The below comfortably serves a family of four with some Dirty Greek Fries and crusty bread on the side. I cook in my slow cooker all day and the end result is a rich, glossy sauce and melt-in-the-mouth meat that falls apart at the touch of the fork. In a word, delicious.

Beef Stamna

Here's how:

• 500g beef shin (you could also use braising steak, or stewing steak)
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• Large pinch of salt
• Black pepper
• 1 large white onion
• 3 large carrots
• 4 large potatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 jar passata
• 4 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 2 heaped tsp paprika
• 1/4 freshly ground nutmeg
• Pinch of white sugar
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 glass dry white wine
• 500ml beef stock (I use a Knorr Beef Stock Pot)
• Large handful grated hard cheese (Cheddar, Grana Padana, or even a Red Leicester works here)

Firstly cut the meat up into decent sized chunks and set aside. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a pan and place onto a medium heat.

Now place the plain flour into a bowl and season very generously with black pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir a little and then place the beef pieces into the flour and move around to ensure they get a good coating of flour - this will ensure the sauce thickens nicely later on.

Now add the cinnamon to the pan and mix the beef around so it gets a good coating. Allow to cook for a minute or so.

Place the beef into the now hot pan and allow to just brown off a little on each side, then place into your slow cooker (or casserole dish). 

Now pour the white wine into the still hot pan and allow to de-glaze the pan of any excess flavours and after a minute or so pour everything into the dish.

Next prepare the vegetables - peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic and add to the dish.

Peel the carrots into thick slices and place into the dish. 

Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes; rinse them off a little, then place into the dish.

Add the remaining spices (paprika and nutmeg), the pinch of sugar, the passata, Rosemary and the made up stock. Now season one more time, mix together, pop the lid on and leave to cook for 6-8 hours on the slowest cooker method - or if using the higher/speedier mode then for 3-4 hours.

Don't touch the lid for the first two hours, but after that give it a stir every hour and watch it thicken, and fill your home with the most delicious aromas.

Once getting ready to serve pop the oven on high - grate the cheese up, and place a little mounds in various spots across the cooked Stamna dish and place the interior part of the dish into the heated oven and once the cheese the melted, you are ready to dish up. Enjoy!

If, like me, you love a hearty Greek dish in the colder autumn and winter months here are a few more you may enjoy:

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

Souzoukakia - Greek Meatball Bake

Pastitsio - The Greek Lasagna

Moussaka

Prawn Saganaki

Spanakopita - Greek Spinach and Cheese Pie

Greek Briam - Vegetable Stew

Greek Chicken One Pot

Pregnancy Food Diet: Week 15

When searching the internet for 'pregnancy diet' the findings aren't the most inspiring. Several websites offer advice in terms of what you should be having generally, such as two portions of fish a week, with one portion being an oily fish (such as salmon, mackerel, sardines), and lots of dark green vegetables and lean meats and pulses for the iron levels, there seems to be a distinct lack of recipe or meal ideas specifically for pregnancy.

So I've decided to offer a weekly pregnancy food diary from here on in, with meal ideas that are suitable for the whole family and that hopefully offer a varied, balanced diet with some naughty treats in there too for good measure.

I try to cook from scratch most days, but am not averse to a meal out or a takeaway so this is my honest account of pregnancy food. I hope it helps to inspire a few ideas for other pregnant ladies at a loss for what to cook for their families during this busy time when tiredness can be a key factor in turning to convenience.

Breakfasts - I've still been feeling fairly queasy this week, so breakfast has been a combination of different things. I've had Greek natural yoghurt with honey, blueberries and flaked almonds a couple of days, but most days it's been wholegrain toast topped with Marmite and a Nutriblast with a piece of fresh ginger to try and help keep the nausea at bay. I try to mix up the ingredients for my daily smoothie as it gets boring otherwise, and include a mixture of both vegetables and fruit. These are a great way of starting the day with a good fix of fibre and hitting half of your 'five a day' target. Here are three different variations I've enjoyed this week:

• Half Kale, small piece of ginger, handful each of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries and half a nectarine topped up with water
• Handful of Strawberries, a nectarine, handful of walnuts and coconut milk
• Half an avocado, small piece of ginger, handful kale, handful pumpkin seeds and handful blackberries Tuesday 16th August:

Lunches:

As I've been at work most of the week, this has been a variety of grab-and-go options, such as soups, salads and sandwiches from the likes of Pret, Marks & Spencer and Itsu. 

For a weekend brunch, I had my usual smoothie but with a slice of toast topped with mashed avocado, a handful of dried chilli flakes and a pinch of coarse sea salt - delicious.

Avocado on toast

Evening meals:

Mid-week I generally get home between 6:45-7:15 most evenings so Bridget will have already eaten, but Glen and I always sit down to a meal together, which I'll cook while he reads a bedtime story and does bath-time. I try and keep the meals under 30 minutes for both preparation and cooking time so that we eat by 8pm the latest every evening, where possible and here are some of the quick and easy meals we had during the week.

• Cajun-spiced pan-fried salmon (I use a Schwarz rub) with a selection of green vegetables and a 'jewelled couscous', which I whipped up whilst the salmon was frying. I top with the appropriate amount of boiled water and top with a plate for this and then chop up all my seasonings - in this case, cucumber, orange pepper, spring onions and fresh mint leaves, plus the seeds of an entire pomegranate for that 'jewelled' effect. Delicious.

Cajun spiced salmon with jewelled couscous and vegetables

• Quick chicken curry using Marks & Spencer Jalfrezi Paste, onions, garlic, ginger and fresh chilli with green pepper and mushrooms, plus chicken thighs - frying all off which the curry paste then topping with tinned tomatoes and serving with microwave rice.
• Inspired by my brother's Instagram posts of Mykonos followed by Athens, I was craving Greek food and made this Greek Chicken One Pot.

• Jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw plus a generous salad on the night that Glen had football training as I didn't have much energy.
• A quick bolognese with lean steak mince and topped up with lentils served with spaghetti (onions and garlic fried gently in olive oil, the mince and finely diced carrot added with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once browned a teaspoon of cinnamon was added then a tin of tomatoes and a tablespoon of tomato puree plus a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Cook for 20 minutes and add a teaspoon of dried oregano for the last five minutes).

Weekend Meals:

On the Saturday I prepared 'fish, mash and liquor' or to those who aren't so familiar with this meal, cod poached in a mixture of whole milk and water served with creamy mashed potato and peas and a parsley sauce made directly from the fish cooking liquor. Topped with lots of chilli vinegar and white pepper - this was fantastic and helped me hit my 'two portions of fish' target for the week.

Fish, mash and liquor

The Sunday was my youngest brother, Dean's birthday so we had a treat - dim sum feast at Dockland's Yi Ban.

Greek Chicken One-Pot

This is a gorgeous, quick and easy Greek-inspired chicken one-pot dish that’s packed full of flavour, takes very little time to prepare and goes with an array of different accompaniments, from bread, rice, couscous, and as I have done here: chips and pitta.

I created it, based on my favourite Greek flavourings, and out of necessity for a number of things left in my fridge – new one coming tomorrow, so we’ve been ‘running it down’.

I used a red onion, garlic, two different coloured peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes in this dish – but what really gives it some punch is the salt, pepper and dried oregano coating the chicken has before going into the dish to be fried – a real taste of the Mediterranean for me, just delicious and exactly what I’d been craving having putting up with Instagram snaps from Mykonnos and Athens all week from my brother and his partner.

This is a great food for all of the family too - our toddler Bridget absolutely wolfed it down.

Serve with a Mythos or a lovely Greek wine such as a Robola de Cephalonie – yammas! This serves 3.

Greek Chicken One-Pot

Here’s how:

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon Greek olive oil
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 100g mushrooms
• 50g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tin plum tomatoes or passata
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 50g Kefalotyri (Can use Pecorino Romano)

Firstly pour the olive oil into a cast iron casserole dish and place on the hob, on a low heat, to warm through. Pre-heat the oven to 180°.

Slice the red onion and garlic and add to the pan to slowly soften and flavour the oil.

In the meantime, mix the salt, pepper and oregano and scatter over a plate or bowl, then dip each chicken thigh into the mixture, using a fork to turn and evenly coat.

Once the onions have softened, add the chicken to the pan, keeping on a low heat and sear on each side.

In the meantime, wash your hands after handling the chicken; then slice the peppers and mushrooms and set aside.

Once the chicken is whitened, add the peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tin of tomatoes and the paprika and stir.

Now cut the Kefalotyri or Pecorino Romano into small cubes and scatter over the dish, place the lid on the casserole dish and then pop into the warm oven for thirty minutes.

Serve with your preferred accompaniments – enjoy.